New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-11
HER YIECES AND HER COUSINS.

Miss 81. John, who died recently in this city, LEFT
real estate valued at a million dollars but as the
greater part Of II goes TO he six nieces, there will
probably be no legal dispute over the property.
Poor Miss Merinda Wood, of Brooklyn, some
time deceased was less fortunate She was
single, and She had about $1,000 to dispose
of by WILL She had eight cousins TO whom she
might have bequeathcd the money, but she pre-
lerred to devote it to the foundation of seminary
for young women of color. So she devised this
money in trust tor that purpose TO the Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher and Mr.. Henry c. Bowen, VINO were
10 SEQ to the establishment of said seminary. Miss
Wood left this world for better one in 1878,
but nothing has yet been done toward
erecting the said seminary Mr. Beechcr VIII not
qualify as executor, and Mr. Bowen is equally disin-
cined to undertake the trust. All the cousins are
naturally in favor of setting aside the viii, which
they hold TO be void iuasmuch it is impossible to
souud a seminary for females, whether colored or
otherwise upon so small a sum of money--not
enough, as Mr. Beecher rather cOntemptu-
ously says, 9" to put shingles on such an
institution" Well, it might have been more, but
Il was all Door Miss Meruda Wood had; she would
probably have given a much larger sum If she bad
been richer. We seldom encounter a testament
which proves so well how much better IT is for some
people TO leave their money to be divided according
to the law Of distribution. At any rate, in 1873
Miss Wood ought not to have left these two execu-
tors in conjunction. They couldn't have served
together, if %, 100000 instead Of $1,000 had been
al Ier disposal. Those who have only little TO
devise are as much entitled TO the protection Of the
law as if they had been never rich but in this
case there Is such an lnsuliciency of money and
such dreadful incompatbity in the executOrship,
that it will probably be best to let the eight cousins
divide the little fund, and see how much happiness
they can get out of $500 each.
COusinage seems an important factor in the
modern problems of giving and getting. Mr.
Jonathan Wells, an eccentric Old gentleman OF
Brooklyn, by pinchlug aud scraping, got together
.DOut half "A million, when his cousins in New
Jersey and elsewhere discovered that he was moi
fit to be trusted with bis property If they had
succeeded in proving him non compos, they would
have rendered him incapable Of making will, and
all the property would have fallen to them. Only
one cousin from the country was OF different
mind. She appeared at the examination,
and declared that in her opinion 4" the old gem
tlenan was all right" adding that if he wasn't
she didn't want any OF his money" All hail 10 this
cousin from the cOultryths rdrd aUis of relative,
this magnaninOus aud easily satisfied person
Now that Mr.. Jonathan Wells IS officially declared
TO be of sound and dispOsing mind and memory
we shall have doubts of bis gratitude if he does not
put this cousin from the country down for some
thing handsome.
One would very much like TO understand by what
process Of reasoning poor cousins como to the
ciusOn that the property of rich cousins is theirs,
and that it is their duty 10 look after it, and to get
out injunctions, and wr5 de iundtico. and various
other processes to set afoot. with view to the pro-
lection Of what they regard their rights. Even
l. Io,r u,
while second and third cousins hardly heirs al
all in the legal of the word. To believe
that one is really the owner even prospectyely OF
an estate, because he is Instantly related TO its law
full possessor, is to have maggot in the head which
may breed all sorts of deusions. An heir, how
ever unlikely to inherit has a sort of right in en-
tailed real estate; but Mr.. Jonathan Tremaine
Weiss property is not entailed, and is his own to
do as be may please with it.