Forty Centuries of Ink: Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.Carvalho, David Nunes
History
Forty Centuries of Ink: Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.
Carvalho, David Nunes
Ink
In the attempt made to prove the alleged last will
and testament of Stephen C. Dimon, deceased, chemistry
was the all-determining factor in the most important
branch of the case. The peculiar features of
this remarkable and unique case are best described
by presenting them with a brief history of the entire
matter.
In 1884 Stephen C. Dimon of the city of New
York made and executed a will, choosing as legatee
and executrix a Mrs. Martha Keery. The will he
intrusted to the custody of his counsel. It appeared.
that some time during the following year his attorney
transferred this will from its resting place in a desk
drawer to a new safe and recalled having seen its envelope
a year later, but said he never saw the will
thereafter.
In 1893 Mr. Dimon died. No will being produced,
his brother took, out letters of administration. Whereupon
Mrs. Martha Keery commenced a suit against
the brother and the next of kin he represented, in
an effort to obtain the dead man's estate. She based
her claim solely on the LOST will, the contents of which
were recalled in the trial by Mr. Dimon's former
counsel, who was also one of the witnesses to the lost
will. During the course of the trial in the Supreme
Court, presided over by Justice George L. Ingraham,
Mrs. Keery's attorney produced a mutilated document
which from its reading indicated that it had once
been a will, though not the "lost" one. But the
names of the legatee, executrix, testator, names of
witnesses and their addresses were completely obliterated.
The written portions still undisturbed showed
it to be in the handwriting of Stephen C. Dimon.
Mrs. Keery's story was that after the death of Mr.
Dimon in going over an old coat formerly worn by
him, she had found it in a side pocket and had given
it to her counsel just as it came into her hands.
Its condition showed it to be considerably pocket-
worn. The obliterations referred to represented huge
blots of black ink covering a lot of scratches and
making it impossible to decipher the under writing.
Defendant's Counsel immediately requested that the
document be turned over to an expert, to see what
could be done with it. The judge granted the motion
and adjourned the case for several days to await
results.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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