Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1854-01-04
The Romance of Making Wills.


/ Doctors Commons to look at the will Of q
dead man. The hand that signed it was in
: the grave long before--dust perhaps; but
the record of the will which animated thai
hand was there among the dusty folios, en-.
crossed in an almost undecipherable hand
which tell how all the real property in the
country has been disposed of over and over
again. / had no difficulty in finding it, fol-
| had note ofthe precise day the deceased
died on. 1t is unnecessary to say any
thing about the contents of that will, how
ever, for they have no relation to what
am writing. 1t is only the date which
have any business with. The will was da-
ted the day before the man died. !, OF
course, had often heard of men making
their wills when they were just at deaths
door, without any particular thought being
excited, but this time | was surprised, as a
single fact very often does surprise us, when
we have passed by host of similar ones
unnotlced. Iknew the nan who made that
will. He was a shrewd, prudent, sharp
lawyer, who had risen from nothing to be a
man Of immense wealth. If he was distin-
guished for any qualities in particular, it
was for punctuality and promptitude.-
None of the clerks in his office were ever
five minutes too late. This was an offence
not 10 be forgiven. No one ever knew him
to be behind at an appointment, or to let
business 60 undone. His housekeeper,w r,who
managed his bachelor home for many years,
only kept her place by being exact to time.
Yet this man had not made his will till
few hours before his death and, therefore,
the possession of his property formed the
subject of very Aourishing lawsuit.
When | went out of that dark dismal
catacomb of dead mems wills, went on
thinking of all the similar cases of procras-
tination which knew or had heard Of
and they were not few-for this is piece
of experience Of one who was law clerk
before he quarreed with red tape. What
curious catalogue they were There was
an old lady, toothless old dowager, who
had reprobate and discarded son, and
pretty gentle niece who lived with her,
We used TO manage all her affairs, and ii
was pretty we'll known in the Office that
the "nice girl with the long curls'' was to
be the old lady's heir. Our head clerk, a
red whiskered dandy, who had no mean o.
pinion of himself, built, | could see, certain
speculations on that basis. The old lady
never came without Eliza and when a Wis
it was expected Mr.. Catchpole brushed his
fiery hair into the most killing curls, and
changed the out-at-the-elbows coat for the
smart one he wore out of doors, and beau
tilted himself as far as that was practicable.
Well, message came one day that the old
lady was ill-very ill-with an urgent re-
quest that some one should 60 at once and
make her will. Off went our Adonis as
fast as a promise Of something liberal over
the fare could urge the cabman.
When he arrived, the old lady was alive
Just alive enough to tell him that her
property was to be left to Eliza. She told
him that in the Kissing whisper which sup
piled the place of the cracked voice; but
when she came to the word "all,'' so full
was the poor old creature of love for the
niece, or, perhaps, of determination-let us
hope not hate against her son-that she
half rose up in her bed and clenched her
withered hand, and shrieked out that word
again. 1t must have been a terrible sight
that of life struggling with death for a
will 1t was a short matter to write that
will down; and Catchpole's pen flew over
the paper, and the old eyes that were gla-
zng so fast stared anxiousy the while, and
the thin fingers actually held the pen she
had asked for beforehand ready to sign the
paper. In few minutes all was ready |
but what a difference that few minutes
made. The clerk had risen from his seat
and approached the couch, when the sur
geon, who stood on the other side, said,
with that GOODNESS which medical practice
brings, at is too late" and 1t was too late.
The dead fingers clenched the unused pen
so tightly that they had t, be unclasped from
it. The son was heir of all, and Eliza a
beggarl Death had translated that scream
out "all' into none. The sequel is soon
told The property was wasted by the rep
rebate son, and has long since passed into
other hands, and Eliza, instead of possess
ing some thousands year, and being WOO
ed by Mr.. Catchpole, is faded daily gov
erness.
Every lawyers Office has plenty of such
stories as this. One remember of miser
who had ruined more than one family, and
in his last moments wished to make such
reparatlon as bequeathed gold could COM
pass. Poor wretch, when the will was
brought, catalepsy had seIzed HIM. and he
lay there living corpse-dead in all but
mind. He could not move his hand his
tongue refused its office, only his eyes were
free to move and of those eyes | have
been told terrible tale. He was, as MI
ser's often are, man Of strong mind and
iron nerve. Passive as he was in every
other part, the eyes told all that was pass
ing within. You could have seen in them
intelligence when the will was read to him
the powerful voition brought to bear, and
persevered in, when the written word which
was to make it a testament was required
the terror and horror which came over him
when he found the right hand which had
so often aided him for evil, would not help
him for good the despair which burst the
unseen bonds around him, and with a con-
vulsive motion, let out the last of life. It
must have been spectacle of horror, when
punishment came in the shape of prohi-
bition of the one act of mercy, which might
have made some amends for whole life
time Of wrong.
Then there was another legend of man
whose daughter married against his will
He lived somewhere in a retired country
house, far off from any town. This man
was subject to disease of the heart, and
one night, feeling the symptoms of an ap.
preaching attack, and that strange present
ment which so often comes before death,
! he reused his household and cont off , mos