Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-03-24
The opENlHa nE eIRARn,s Will,

The following graphic account is given Of
what took place when Girard's Will was read,
and bow his "aff.ct ionate relatives" received
! the intelligence that hs had given bis estate to
the orphans and the poor rather than TO them:
Death having dissolved the powerful spell !
Of a presence which few men had beeu able
to resist, it was TO be seen how far bis Will
would be obeyed, now that he was no longer
able personally, TO enforce it. The old man
! lay dead in his house in Water street. While
the public, out Of doors. were curious enough
to learn what he had doBe with his money
there was smaller number within the house,
the kindred of the deceased, in whom this Gu
riosiy ragged like mania. They invaded the
cellars of the house. bringing up bottles of the
old mao's choice wine, and kept up coutinu-
al carouse. Surrounding Mr., Dame, who had
been present at Mr.. Giraris dsath. and re
mained To direct his funeral, they demanded
to know il there was a will. TO silence thei:
indecent camor he told them there was, and
that he was one of the executors. On hearing
this, their desire to learn its contents rose to
fury. In vain the executors reminded them
that deeency required the will should not be
opened till after the funeral. They even
threatened legal proceedings if the will was
not Immediately produced, and at length, to
avoid pablic scandal, the executors consented |
20 have it read. These affctionate relatives
being assembled in a parior of the house in
which the body OF their benefactor lay, the will
was taken from the iron safe by one of the ex-
ecutors.
When he opened il, and was about to be- !
gin to read, be CHANGED to look over the top of
the document at the company seated before |
him. No artist that ever held brush could |
depict the curiosity, the frenzy of expectation,
expressed 10 that group of paid faces. Every /
Individual among them expected to leave the |
apartment the conscious pOssessor of millions;
for no one had even dreamed Of the probability /
Of his leaving the bulk of his estate 10 the |
public. II they had ever heard of his saying |
that no one should be gentleman upon his /
money, they had forgotten or disbelieved it
The opening paragraphs of the will tended to
confirm their hopes since the beqIesis to ex
isting institutions were OF small amonut. Il II |
the reader soon reached the part of the will |
which assigned to the ladies and gentlemen |
present such trihing sums as five thousand
dollars, ten thousand, twenty thousand and /
he arrived ere long at the sections which dis
posed of millions for The benef; of great cities
and poor children. Some of them made nog |
the slightest attempt to conceul their disap-
pointmant and disgust. N IN were there who
had married with view to shire the wealth |
Of Girard, aud had been waiting years for his |
death Women were there who had locked TO
that event as the beginning of their fjIymsnt
Of life. The Imagination of the reader must
supply the details Of a scsne which we might
rink dishO nored human nature, if We c1uid
believe that human nature was meant to be
subjected - such a strain"