Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-08
SOME ECCENTRIC WILLS.
Requests That Reveal Family His
tories-The Shortest VIII Ever Writ
Whitehall Review.

There is probably no more profitable |
class of business to lawyer than that
arising out of disputes about wills,
and the following extract from a
French advocates will pithily ex
presses his opinion of his clients:
give 100,0 900 francs to the local mad
house. I got this money of those who
pass theis lives in litigation; in be
queathing it for the use of lunatics l
only make restitution.
1t Is recorded of rich old farmer
that in giving instructions for his
will he directed a legacy of el00 to
be given to his wife. Being informed
that some distinction was usually
made in case the widow married again
he doubled the sum, and, when told
that this was quite contrary to custom,
he said, with heartfelt sympathy for
his possible successor; AYE, but him
as gets herll desarve itn
1t is possible for whimsical tesla
tor to be very just, and at the same
time very caustic, as appears by the
| following extract from the will of
John Hylett Stow, proved In 1871.
| hereby direct my executors to lay
out five guineas in the purchase of a
picture of the viper biting the benev-
olent hand of the person who saved
him from perishing In the snow, If
the same can be bought for the mon
ey; and that they do, in memory of
me, present it to =, Kings counsel,
whereby he may have frequent oppor-
tunities of contemplating it, and by a
comparison between that and his own
virtue be able to form certain jadg-
ment which is best and most profit
able-a grateful remembrance, of
past friendship and almost parental
regard, or ingratitude and insolence.
If the learned counsel interested
happened to be present at the reading
of the will his feelings may well be
imagined. Undoubtedly, crusty old
bachelor NUS have been the Paris
ian merchant, Monsieur Colombelr,
who when he died, lett fl 300 to a
lady of Rouen for having twenty
years before refused to marry him,
Through which," states the will, Il
was enabled to live Independently
and happily as bachelor.
A curious, and, | may add pecul-
iarly hard case, came before Vice
Chancellor Bacon in 1880. The facts
were these: Miss Turner devised
large real estate to her brother, on
the following condition: But if
my brother Shall marry during nay
life without my consent in writing,
or if he shall already have married,
or shall hereafter marry, domestic
servant, or person who has been
domestic servant, then such bequeSt
to her brother to be void. The brother
came into possession of the said estates
and died in 1873, leaving a widow
and two children. The suit was in
stituted againt the widow and child
rem on the ground that testatrix's
brother had forfeited his title to the
legacy by marrying a domestic serv-
ant. 1t was commended, on behalf Of
the widow, that she had been house
keeper, and not domestic servant.
The Vice Chancellor, however, was
of the opinion that housekeeper
was a dome site servant and thus the
legacy was forfeited.
DR.. Dunlop of Scotch origin, after
ward member of the American Sem
ate, left very singular will. 1t
has often been commented on, owing
to it's extreme singulari ty; but Its
principal provisions are not amusing
that no apology is necessary for re-
producing them The Doctor is de.
scribed as having been jovial aud
kindly man, and his will certainly
bears out this character. In it he
says:
/ leave the property Of Gairbread,
| oil .fTy 7 no
sed of, to my sisters, -- and --;
) the former because she is married to a
minister who-may Ged help him
: she hen pecks; the latter because she
is married to nobody, norris she likely
to be, for she is an old maid and not
marked ripe. | leave my
silver tankard TO the oldest son of old
, John, as tho Representative OF the
family. l would have left it to old
John himself, but he would have
melted it down to make temperance
) medals, and that would have been
| sacrilege. However, l leave him my
big horn snuff box; he can only make
temperance horn spoons out of that.
) l leave my brother in la ",
Allen, nay punch-bowl, as he is big,
: gaunt man, ANA likely to do credit to
it. = | leave to Parson Chevas-
sic my big silver snuff box, as a small
token of gratitude to him for taking
taste would have taken. !
leave to John Caddell silver teapot,
to the end that he may drink tea
therefrom to comfort him under the
affection of slattornly wife.
l leave my silver cup with the
sovereign in the bottom of it. TO ray
sister, because she Is an old maid
and pious, and therefore, necessarily
given to boarding; and, also, my
grandmothers snuff box, as it looks
} decent to see an old maid taking snuff.
y
1t was well for this affectionate
brother that he had gone heavenward
before the gist of his testamentary
bcnefactions were made known other
wise he might have been interview
ed" by his scandalized sisters.
One of the most whimsical requests
| have come across is recorded in a
probate case decided in 1879 The
testator left e1O to the undertaken who
buried his wife. A French lady, who
| ulSu III 100 uSSlISO ny HtI Will blldl
her heart might be placed in the tomb
of her second husband, but her body
in her first husbands tomb in Amer
lea.
The following case is interesting, as
showing how prodigiously money ac-
cumulates at compound interest: NJ
Ricard appointed by his will that the
sum of 500 livres should be divided
into five portions. The first, at the
end of a hundred years, amounted to
13, 100 livres, to be laid out in prizes
for dissertations proving the lawful
ness of putting out money to interest.
The second. at the end of two ceutur-
les, amounting to LOO, 900, to be en-
ployed in establishing perpetual
fund for prizes in literature and arts,
and for virtuous actions.
A very short will was proved ia
1881. The exact words are these:
''All that possess in the world leave
to my wife" But still shorter one
is recorded thus: Everything to my
brother Tom"
The Russian Crowns.