The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-03

LARGE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY FOR THE BENEFIT o.
CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS IN ST. LOUIS.

LARGE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY FOR THE BENEFIT OF
CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS IN ST. LOUIS.
(From the St LOUIS Republican, Dec %
The last will and testament Of John Thornton, de-
ceased, was yesterday presented and admitted 10
probate As considerable diversity OF opinion and
speculation exists in relation to its contents We pub
lish the requests made. The will is Of recent date
purportiDg to have been executed on the l4th OF
December, 1857, in the presence of Messrs. Owen
V: Timon and Francis j. Steigers, who are the
witnesses. The Right Rev. Bishop Kenrick, John
Withheld and Edward Walsh, are made the execn-
tors.
The first bequest is 100000 TO his executors in
trust, to be applied to the use and benefit Of the
surviving children of his late brother, Patrick
Thornton, giving to his nephews, John Thorn,
ton $40 900, and Nicholas Thornton 10000, and
to each of his nieces, three of them, $4,000 each
This Request is TO be invested in the way OF loans
secured upon real estate by deed of trust and mort
gage the assessed value Of which is to be at least
twice the amount 10 invested, the annual interest of
which is TO be paid lfyeariy to the iegatees TO
Peter Richard Kenrick he devses the sum OF $4,000
for the ST. Lonis Hospital Association, and makes
the following additional bequests:-$2, 600 to the
Male Orphan Asylum corner Fifteenth street and
Clark avenue; $4,000 to Female Orphan Asylum
corner Bidde and Tenth streets; so 600 for Theology
cal Seminary at CarOndelet 81 ,OO0for widows Home
and Eyingin Hospital, corner Of Tenth and Ofalion
streets; 81 900 for the Home Of the Good Shepherd,
Seventeenth street; between Pine aud Chestnut;
s2000for Half Orphan syum for girls, corner Eighth
and Main Streets So 900 for the Home of st. Phio
mena, corner OF Fifth and Walnut streets; $1,000 for
Sisters OF Nary corner OF Tenth and Morgan streets
81 900 for parOcha schools attached 60 each Of the fol-
lowing Catholic churches:-Cathedral st. Francis
Xavier, st. Patrick st. John, st. Michael, the Arch
ANGEL St. Lawrence O'TOoie; s. 900 for the use and
benefit of the following churehes-Cathedral, st.
Patrick, st. Mcbaels, St Lawrence O'Tooe, lmma-
cuate Conception and 81 600 to the Bishop for the
purpose of enabling him to begin the foundation of
a Boys Catholic Reform Institution; 80, 900 for the
Bishops own use and benefit; and the residue Of
his estate of every description to Archbishop Peter
ri hni, OF
the belief that he will apply it for the benefit of the
INDECENT and to advance the cause Of religion.
These are all the important requests of Mr. Thorn
tons will 1t bears date. as will be observed, on the
14th of the present month, and made before his
health became so much impaired as to coniine
him to his bed. Our citizens are, many of
them, familiar with an incident in his life,
which placed it in great jeopardy-tbat Of an
attempt to commit suicide by inhictng dangerous
wound in the region Of the abdomen. He recovered
however from this wound, and was engaged for
years in the active transaction of his business. II
proved in the end the cause Of his death his al
tered appearance from month TO month may have
satisfied almost every one who knew him intimately
Mr. Thornton Catholic, aud this may ac-
count for the peculiar disposition of his fortune
After providing literally for his relatives, he made
numerous requests to various benevolent institutions
in this city, to schools attached to the several Catho
lie churches, limited sum to several churches, and
few minor requests. These donati eDsamounting
to $l45 900, absorb informant leads IA to be-
leye, scarcely third of the estate. We estimate
his entire wealth at $40 600 to 5000 600, and as he
owed nothing the public may readily see what
amount of property ia left in trust to the Arch
bishop.