Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-28

How to Make n Will that Can't be Bro
ken After Death.
From the Chicago Herald.

| US, particularly where a considerable estate is
| devised. We are not only curious to know how
man wishes his property TO go after he is
| through with it, but it seems like voice from
| the dead declaring how it shall go. 1t is usu-
ally written in the most solemn moment of a
| mans life AT that moment one realizes to the
| full that he brought nothing into this world
and can take nothing out, and that. afir 1 Lao
tongue is hushed and the neart stilled, his COM
mands will be spoken and his desires ODE yed.
| Associated as it is with such thoughts as these,
| Il is not strange that we are eager to know
| den or Mr. Storey disposes of his fortunes. AS
| matter of fact, being strangers to them, we do
| not care whether they endow a college or a cat,
but If their wills happen to be published in the
| morning papers, we read them first, as the most
| tOOthsOne items of news.
| The clause in Mr.. Tflden's will providing that
! If any one of the devseeS contest 1t he shall
| forfeit his share is a valid one, and may be
often found in the wills of astute persons, like
induce caution on the part of heirs. II one can
| lose nothing by a contest and may gain some
thing, he may rush into court as sort of
| speculation, and In that way much OF the es-
| tate be lost. Our Uncle Sammy knew enough
! about law and lawyers to wish to keep his es-
| tate tree from their care. As nobody ever drove
| coach and four through any document or
statute he wrote, so you may be sure his viii,
drawn by his own hand, is equally ironclad.
There are many very curious and eccentric
wills described in the books, and some strange
| phases OF human nature are illustrated in them.
some men, VINO IN lie WOulQ not nave given u
| cup OF water to beggar, by their wills leave
enormous sums TO charity. Those are the
| wills that usually take course through the
courts, with handsome pickings for the law
| yers ON the way. All charitable requests are
construed with the utmost strictness. About
| ten years ago III. III. Taylor of this city, died,
leaving a will drawn by himself. Alter pro-
vid1ng for his wife and son, as he thought
quite literally, he devised the residue of his
found charitable institution such as they
should deem best. In case they elected not
to do so the trustees were to turn over the
estate to the Home OF the FriendleSS. AS q
matter of course the will was contested, and,
after thorough legal inquiry, it was found
that the charitable clause would not hold
water. Alter considerable litigation the case
was compromised, and the Home of the
Friendless got S2OO,OOO and the heirs the re-
mainder.
A man in New Jersey, not long since, left his
estate To pay of the national debt. The will
was contested, OF course, but the courts have re-
Gently held 1t valid. In the last century Sir
Joseph Jekyll did the same thing in England.
When Lord Mansfield heard of it he said: ''Sir
Joseph was very good man and good lawyer,
but his bequest was very foolish one; he
might as well have attempted to stop the
middle arch OF Blackfriars bridge with his full
bottomed wig
Simple matter as it really is, lawyers have
not always been successful in drawing their
own wills. Lord ST. Leonard, high chancellor
Oh England, who, us Edward Sugden, was the
most eminent chancery lawyer in England,
ana who with number OF law books, one
particularly with a very elaborate chapter on
drawing wills, drew his own will, and it re-
CURED an expensive lawsuit and the decision
Oh court OF chancery TO give ii proper effect.
Inc Will OF Lord WeStbury, another lord high
chancellor, drawn by himself, met with the
same tate. could give you many similar in
stances
There have been devises to animals or for
their benefit which have been held valid to
Cats, dogs, horses, and even parrots. Not in
frequently people have undertaken TO show
THEIR spite and hatred, and sometimes their
numOr, in wills.
Pie will OF Lord Pembroke in the seventeenth
cehtury has several items OF that kind-fOr in
sials1e: .Item-I give nothing to my Lord sage,
ai0xbdo make him this legacy willingly, be-
cause know that he will faithfully distribute
~ Gnto the poor. Item-Igiv up the ghost"
Eprd Bacon had no property to leave, but he
LETT n regularly executed Will, in which he
bequeathed his name and memory Ito mems
charitable speeches, to foreign nations, and the
next ages. Shakespeare lett an elaborate will,
which contains clause that has puzzled the
ShakeSpeareans not a little.
81 give unto my wife my second best bed :,
with the furniture" Why did he only give
Ann Hathaway his second best, and not his
best bed? Nothing else did she get, and the
Will has sought IN vain to know the reason why.
Lord Nelson left a will drawn just before he
went into the battle of Trafalgar by which he
bequeaL ned Lady Hamilton and her daughter
to MS king and country, but neither king nor
country accepted the legacy, and they 10th
came To want, Lady Hamilton dying in abject
poverty.
Napoleon in his will left handsome legacy
to wretch named Chatilion, VINO had at
tempted to aSSaSSinate W eliingtOn.
The will OF Rabe Lais has this clause: 81 have
|. no available property; owe great deal; the
resi- give TO the poor" His last words when
dying were: II go to see the great Perhaps" a
famous French abbe had this pithy clause in
ms will: TO my steward leave nothing, be-
cause he has been In my service for eighteen
years"
1t is not unusual for man to leave all his
property 10 his wife, with the proviso that if
she nIarries again she is TO have only what the
law allows her. 1 nave drawn number OF such
wills. Governor Morris, the celebraI ed Ameri-
statesman, did not treat his wife So He
n
cousin OF John, of Roanoke, woman much
younger than himself. and with whom he lived
very happily. He bequeathed very handsome
Income to her, and then provided that in case
she married again the income should be dou-
bled.
n soldier or sailor is allowed to make q
nuncupative will-that is, a will by word OF
mouth, 10y which personal estate may be dis
posed OF, but you, being d civilian, must make
yours IN writing. 1t don't matter much what
The writing is OMIT may be a slate, or a
taDte top, Oh even wall, though it Is advisable
Il aIushouid be on paper or parchment. You
inlay write 1t ami sign your name i'll pencil Ii
"yGu like, but it Is better To do it in ink.
p 'fod may make your Will In Choctaw, If you
happen To understand that language, or il may,
Hamlet says, 'be writ in the choicest Italian;'
you may write it i'll shorthand, or in abbrevia-
lions, or in cipher, SO long you leave the key
behind you. Courts are not martinets as TO the
spelling, and ii your photography is not per-
Iectly ultra, they will not mind il If they can
make IL out Ii you wish To drop into poetry
even that Is permitted, as the following case OF
u valid will shows:
give and beQueath,
When In laid underneath
To my two loving sisters most dear,
Ihe whole OF my Store
We're IL twice much more
Which God 5 goodness has granted to me.
And that none may prevent
This will and iuieut,
Or occasion the least OF law racket,
VIII asoiemn appeal,
i confirm sign aud seal,
This, the true act aud deed of Will JACKIE.
You may sign your will by your initials and
II your hand Is unsteady you may get some one
TO guide IT, You must have at least two wit
the witnesses sign their names you must be in
such a position that you could do SO if you ".eit
so disposed" Mrs. Clamp might remark
That was Judge Rogers ruling in the Storey
will case, and il is good law.
III You are going 10 leave any thing to ME don't
ask me 10 be u witness, for, although could be
a good witness, my legacy would be void. John
BouVler was All eminent lawyer in Philadelphia
some years ago, and the author OF several
standard law books. y lady left him d very
sell drew and witnessed. There was no doubt
about the intention of the lady, but BOuyier
failed TO get his legacy.
Having signed and sealed your will you can
revoke IL by destroying it, but not by simply
running the pen through your name or through
Will properly executed. Marriage also revokes
a Will.
kOumiss ~ Popular Beverage.
HOW IT CAN BE MADE FOR FAMILY USE.
From the Brooklyn Eagle.
'koumiss is fast becoming the popular drink
with Brooklynites VINO have large families Of
children, said "A local druggist recently to an
Ed9te reporter, "koumiss is made of cows milk
with the addition OF u little sugar. It is highly
til