Chap. 5.—An ACT to authorize the institution of proper proceedings in the
name of the Commonwealth of Virginia to enforce the return to it of
the original will of Martha Washington. (S. B. 6.)

Approved January 30, 1914.

Whereas, the original last will of Martha Washington, of Mt.
Vernon, the widow of George Washington, dated September second,
eighteen hundred, was duly proven before the county court of Fair-
fax county in the State of Virginia on June twenty-first, eighteen
hundred and two, and was ordered to be recorded therein, and
thereupon was deposited among the archives of the county court of
Fairfax county, whereby it became a public record and document
of the State of Virginia and remained thereafter in its possession
among the archives of Fairfax county until it was stolen from
among the same at some time during the war between the states
on a day and by a person unknown; and

Whereas, the said document is of great historic, literary and
pecuniary value apart from its value as a muniment of title to the
large real and personal estate within the State of Virginia disposed
of under its provisions and should therefore be restored to its legal
and proper custody; and

Whereas, it has recently been ascertained that the said original
document so stolen as aforesaid is now in the custody and control
of one John Pierpoint Morgan, a citizen of the State of New York,
who has declined to restore the same to the archives of the said
county of Fairfax, although he has been informed of the circum-
stances of its removal therefrom and has been requested to restore
the same; now, therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
the governor of this Commonwealth be, and he hereby is, authorized
and directed to cause formal demand to be made on the said John
Pierpoint Morgan for the return of the said last will and testa-
ment of Martha Washington to the State of Virginia.

2. That in event the said demand be not complied with within
a reasonable time, the attorney general of this Commonwealth is
hereby authorized and directed to institute in the supreme court of
the United States of America and prosecute to final conclusion, in,
the name of the Commonwealth of Virginia, such suit or suits at
law or in equity against the said John Pierpoint Morgan, his heirs
or assigns, and such other person or persons as may be proper,
in order to enforce the right of the Commonwealth of Virginia to
the possession and custody of said document, and the attorney gen-
eral is hereby authorized to associate with him in the prosecution
of said suit the Commonwealth’s attorney of Fairfax county, Vir-
ginia, and such other attorney or attorneys as the board of super-
visors of Fairfax county may request to be associated with him,
provided that the compensation, if any, of such associate attorneys
shall be provided for by the said board of supervisors of Fairtax
county.

8. Upon the recovery of the possession of the said document, it
shall be delivered to the clerk of the circuit court of Fairfax county,
Virginia, for deposit and safe keeping among the archives of Fair-
fax county.

In view of the importance of the immediate restoration of the
paper to its proper place as one of the records of the clerk’s office
of the county of Fairfax, an emergency is declared to exist, and this
act shall be in force from its passage.