The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-07-09
An Eccentric Mans VIII.

We all know that millionaires are con-
tinually being reminded that there is no
chance of their millions following them
beyond the grave, but l had never be-
fore heard of an instance in which his
millions should rob poor mans bones
of their Justly earned repose in the tomb.
And vet this is the case with Martin OFT,
millionaire, who died a year ago, and
who is to be exhumed in the course of
this week. Martin OFT arrived in Vienna
some 80 years ago, without 30 much cap
ital as to begin q small business with.
One of the partners in great firm here,
Mr.. Syre, took pity upon him and help
ed him in more than one instance. Al
ter some time OFT began specializing,
and all his speculations were crowned
with success. But he was so eccentric
man that he possessed millions before
people credited him with being able to
support himself decently. He lived like
the miser of romance, and scarcely any
one here knew him to be a rich man.
Among the few who were in his conf
dence was old Syre, his benefactor and
friend, to whom Martin OFT had con-
fided the secret of his will, by which
he made him his sole heir, thus proving
that next to avarice gratitude was his
chief characteristic. Syre's business did
not improve and the man who was once
wealthy was not in a position to settle
his son in business when the time came
for, him to seek livelihood. But, Of
course, being the heirs of a millionaire
the Syre family had no apprehensions for
the future, and old Michael OFT lent his
old friends son Gu, 900 forms when they
applied to him for a sum of money.
Young Syre gave OFT q receipt for this
sum and told his relations that the queer
old miser laughed while he pocketed it,
and seemed to soy, "No danger of my
keeping this!' He did keep it, however,
and when he died it was found among his
papers, so that young Syre is the debtor
for GO, 900 forms to the heir or heirs Of
old OFT, and not to his own father, as
he had supposed, for old Syre died just
one month before OFT, the millionaire,
and the will provided for old Syre alone
and never mentioned his heirs. All per-
sons related to the deceased millionaire
were therefore at liberty to prove their
claims, and the rich legacy, which is at
present still in the hands of the authori-
ties, will be divided among them. The
Syres are out of question, and the eldest
son, with that claim of GO, 900 forms upon
him, has gone mad. The number Of
persons that have already applied for the
heritage is immense, and each branch
of the family-not very illustrious one,
YOU may be sure-would naturally pre-
fer being sole heir. Old OFT had at one
time made will in which were contained
legacies for all his friends, small or
great, but of course this was annulled
when he named Syre his sole heir. Then
O number of unimportant dispositions
were found on small slips of paper, and
among other things was prayer for q
quiet funeral and desire for certain
dress-coat he wished to wear in his
grave. Now some of his relations In
Bavaria have asked If at the time Of his
funeral that coat was searched thorough
ly, and when the answer was in the
negative, they demanded that the grave
should be reopened and his coat ex-
amined closely for a possible will. 1t
certainly is probable that he made one,
since he fully knew that by old Syre's
death his will was OF no value whatever,
and he cannot have been in ignorance
that Syre's heirs would not inherit when
he had not mentioned them in his will.
We are of course all very eager to hear
the last of this story, which has become
quite thrilling since it has been decided
that the repose of the dead is to be dis
turbed for the benefit Of the living.