The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-06-05
From the Philadelphia Weekly Press.
,Judnn packev's VIII.


estate to dispose of, and he took special
pains to make his several bequests
with such regard for details and con-
tingencies, immediate or remote, as to
leave no point for litigation or judicial
construction. The will was signed on
the 14th of May, '75, but several supple
mentary and explanatory clauses were
added as late as May %, 1877. In the
original instrument the testator signed
his name at the bottom of each page,
and the witnesses attested this fact in
their formal certificate at the eXecu-
ton of the will
Judge Packers two sons, Robert a.
and Harry E., and Messrs. Elish =.
Wilson and Robert II. Sayre, of Beth
lehem, and the president of the Lee
high Valley Valley Railroad Company,
are named as executors. For the sake
of convenience the executors are
called "trustees' in the will. When
ever there is II change in the presi-
dency of the Lehigh Valley Railroad
the testator directs that the retiring
president shall give place to his sue
cessor as one Of the executors, it being
his wish always to have the president
of the company acting as trustee"
to carry out the provisions of the will.
The whole estate is devised to these
trustees" and the concurrent action
of four of them is to be conclusive
upon all except that in voting upon
the Behigh Valley Railroad stock
three of the trustees" can determine
how the vote shall be cast. They are
directed to settle their accounts at
least once in three years. They are
empowered to manage the railroad and
the coal lands according to their best
Judgment, >and to borrow money,
execute mortgages, and bind the estate
as fully as the testator could if living
new railroads, the building of which
may be deemed advantageous to the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Colnpanyand d
the estate; and to subscribe for any
ucW lSSlc vi bOltio Hull uiilN bc
made by the said railroad company.
The will gives absolutely to the
widow such portion of the estate as
she may select, and the trustees are di-
rccted to hand over to her at any time
whatever sum of money or piece Of
property she may demand. If she
should desire that fixed annual in
come should be set apart for her, the
trustees are directed to comply with
her wish. Said the testator, my
purpose is that she (NIrs. Packer) shall
have whatever she wishes out of my
estate, and all other provisions hereof
are subordinate to this one" The
family residence (two houses at
Mauch Chunk is bequeathed to the
testator's daughter, Mary Hannah
Packer, and his son, Harry Il, Packer,
us. Joint tenants. Mrs. Packer has the
right to occupy the one house during
her life. The survivor of the joint
tenants is to have this property, and
at death it is to go to the children of
one or both of then to Robert A.
| Packer and his children. The object
Of the tcstator was to keep this piece of
property in the family as long as the
laws of inheritance would permit. A
house in Bethlehem is devised to the
testator's son, Robert A. Packer.
Special legacies are given TO the tcs-
| tator's nephews and nieces rs follows ::
$25, 900 to Elisha ?, Wilbur; $1,000 to
Warren w. Wilbur; $4,000 to Mrs.
Helena Rathbun; $4,000 each to
Robert and John Rathbun, and the
same to Hattie Fitch. Robert II.
Sayre gets $50, 900. Small bequests are
made to various remote relatives and
personal friends; $4,000 to Mrs. Ma
rion Skeer, the testatOr's adopted
daughter, and S50,O00 to be divided
among her two children apd the three
children of testator's deceased daugh-
ter, Mrs. Lindeman, share and share
alike. These bequests are intended
to go into effect Immediately, and do
not depend on the final disposition OF
the testator's estate.
The Divinity School of the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church at Philadelphia
gets S33,50O; Jefferson Medical Col
lege, $1,000; Muhlenberg College, at
Allentown, $50, 900; st Marks Church,
Mauch Church, $4,000; Washington
and Lexington College, Va, $1,000,
All the legacies mentioned in this
paragraph are to be paid in annuity
bonds Of the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Company. The Lehigh University
in South Bethlehem, is to have 81 :
500, 900, the trustees under the will to
hold the same and to pay the "in-
come" to the trustees of the univer-
sty for its support. In addition to
this the trustees are directed to pay tC
the trustees of the Lehigh University
the income of $5O0,000, the same to be
applied to the erection OF building
for a library and the purchase o.
books. This institution to be callet
the "Lucy Packer Library in mem
ory Of the testator's daughter. St
Luke's Hospital, at Bethlehem, is tC
have the ''iucomen of $500, 900, on tho
condition that employees of the lie
high Valley Railroad Company are tC
be received and cared for free oI
charge.
The trustees are directed to pay to
Mary Hannah, Robert A, and Harry
e. Packer, the testator's three chill.
dren, $4,000 each per annum, and the
income of the remainder of the estate
after the specific bequests have beel
met, is also to be divided equally
among them. Each of these three
children is empowered to dispose hy
will of the one-siXth of the estate thai
remains, such bequests to take efiec