Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-02-16
The Opening Of Girard's Will.


The January number of the North
american Review contains an interest
ing article on Stephen Girard, and his
college, in which the following account
lis given Of what took place when the
will was read. People will be amused
to learn how his ''affectionate relatives
received the intelligence that he had
given his estate to the orphans and the
poor, rather than to them: stl 75o
Death having dissolved the powerful
spell Of presence which few men had
been able to resist, it was to be seen how
far his Win would be obeyed, now that
he was no longer able, personally TO en-
force it. The old man lay dead inahis
house on Water Street. While. the
public, out Of doors, We're curious
enough to lerrn what he had done with
his money, there was a number within
the house, the kindred of the deceased,
in whom this curiosity ragged like ma
MAC. .- ''4&
They invaded the cellars Of the house
by bringing up bottles of the old mans
choice wine, and kept up a continual
carousal Surrounding Mr.. Duane, who
had been present at Mr. Girard's death,
and remained to direct his funeral, they
demanded to know if there was will.
To silence their indecent clamor he told
them there was, and that he was one
of the executors On hearing this, the
desire to know it's contents arose almost
to fury. In vain the executors remind
ed them that decency required that the
will should not be opened till after the
funeral. They even threatened legal
proceedings if the will should not be
instantly produced, and, at length, to
avoid public scandal, the executors con-
sented to haye thread. These Affection
ate relatives being assembled in a. parlor
of the house in which their benefactor
lay, the will was taken from the iron
safe by one Of the executors 9a faij Il4;
When he had opened it, and was
about to begin to read, he chanced to
look over the document at the company
seated before him. No artist that ever
held brush could depict the passion of
curiosity, the frenzy of expectation ex-
pressed in that group of pallid faces
Every individual expected to leave the
apartment the conscious possessor Of
millions for no one had dreamed of the
probability ofbis leaving the bulk of
his estate to the public If they had
ever heard him say that no one should
be gentleman upon his money, they
had forgotten or disbelieved it,. The
opening paragraphs Of the will all tended
to confirm their hopes, since the bequests
to existing institutions were of small
amount. But the reader soon reached
the part which assigned to ladies and
gentlemen present, such trifing sums as
five thousand dollars,g ten thousand,
twenty thousand and he arrived ere,
long to the sections which disposed of
millions for the benefit Of, great cities
and poor children. Some of them made
not the slightest attempt to conceal their.
disappointment and disgust. Men were
there who had married with view to
share the wealth of Girard, and had
been waiting for years for his DEATH
Women were there who had looked to
that event as the beginning Of their
enjoyment of life. The imagination
Of the reader must supply the details of
a scene which We might think idishon7.
ored human nature, if we could believe
that human nature was meant to be sub
jected to such strain. igroH