Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1881-06-16

NNitENI " tltNs
As far back ~ we know anything OF
Eags geivlizatioR. lnrn have been in the habit
of formally bequea,hng their property.
.aM i 10 she.oldtst tinles Of which we have
IS any knowledge, peuple were accus-
TONED tohide their more precious pos
. sessions, and one ofthe most important
parts OF will1nlsing then was for the
.EFtE tfsator TO sroveai where he bad con
cealed his Jewels his choice weapons,
"a 80 his store of gold, The head OF a
5f41 family being ahOul TO die would SUM
sst a5 mon to his bedside his nearest relations
81 ssss on his most intimate friends and tell
3, ssssss them wltat he possessed, where IL was
~ hidden, and how he wished il divided
after his death.
h Thus, Mahomet in the Koran is very
- go severe upon witnesses TO wills who 10
aee A~ not impart all that they know of the
property OF q deceased person. Faith
less men would sometimes, IL appears.
forget to tell Of jeweled cup or a bag
OF coin, which a dying testator had
mentioned, and would quietly appro.
pirate the same to their own use He
euioins upon al true believers who felt
- @ death approaching To select two wit
i,ss nesSes, Just men, and, after the after
.sssasl noon prayer, make them swear not to
~ @ sell their evidence for brhe. nor CON
asas, eeal their knowledge of his effects
ags kase as.a Albreaders remember the impressive
sses,. scenes delineated in the Old Testament
gosssRs whoren the dying patriarGhs made
aH sag knoWnstY word OF mouth their last will
sas 70 their sons gathered about their bed
saEsrN NeNtto these the oldest will OF which
we have any mention is that of Telom-
% a achns, son of Ulysses, given by Homer
81 sse in the Odyssey. The Young hero, being
about 10 90 into battle gave TO a friend
- the precious objects which he pos
sessed but with the proviso that II no
survived the battle his friend was TO
rot fFfF4gl Nl..nfrt all f.l fV.,
= soldier does the same at the present
- - day custom OF which we had thou
~ sands OF instances in the late war.
~ s The oldest will which was written
ssS out aud has come down to us in the
a1g original words, is that of Sennacherib,
ssss.sa King Of Assyria, who tlourished about
as 200 B. e, He left TO his favorte son
~ sts. certain bracelets, coronets and other
zgl precious objects of gold, ivory and
.sqt2sl precious stones, deposited for safe
Asn g.sst keeping in the Temple of Nebo." II is
- Esss by no means certain that this will was
sssss written by the King, though it is re-
= sssa' Hcorded as his. and a copy was found in
s one of the ancient cities of Asia Ages
CO before the institution of Safe Deposit
Companies, Kings aud mobiles found il
necessary TO have safe places for hiding
their jewels aud gold, and this was
usually in some religious edifce under
the guardianship of priests
The most interesting will that has
= =. come to us from antiquity is that of the
- Colinthian philosopher, Eudamdas,
Who had no property TO leave. and who
died about 100 B. c. This VIII, proba-
bly, dlctated ON his death bed, and taken
D aas d0wo by a.bystander, was as follows;
49, = bequeath 10 Arethpus my mother sup
phrt Nid ! pay him 10 have tender care OF
"lbeluoat6tp Onarlxenes my daughter to
Evs ssit,s iiltan1age and TO siyehtr TO that end,
= s,,'shoud either happen to de beg the
1twasth law in Cornth at that time
emsa that wills should be read in the public
49, square in the hearing of the people
% The deceased philosopher was known
TO be destitute OF property. and couse
aaas quenty when this viii was read, il ex-
cited moro laughter than admiration
and people were disposed TO joke upon
tsssss the good lack Ofthe two legatees. They,
f however,, promptly accepted the trust,
and, one OF them dying soon after, the
other supported the philosophers
) So amother, found a suitable husband for
- the daughter and gave hera portion OF
n'as ~ two talents. about equal TO twenty-five
g hundred dollars of our money He
1 gave tho same portion to his own
FaD ssadailghter and bothwere married on the
same day. auI
N YW The willof the llustrlous Greek phi-
- Alosophef Plato who died 3lS b. c., we
possess eHtirc, and il gives us he pleas !
nc knowledge that he was o gentleman
ssEsQi property, lie leaves two farms TO
g his only. SOM likewise a considerable
We ssnpa. .Of money, various cups of silver
aQdn heavy gold rint, He frees from
bondago. his slave Diana, but bequeaths 4
his four other slaves aud all HIS chat /
tells Ito his son, hwe no debts,i