The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-22
WILL LORE.
A CHAPTER OF INTEREST ON
MEMS LAST TESTAMENTS.
Curious and Eccentric Bequests-
Wills Of Some Prominent Per-
sonages-Wills by Word Of
Mouth and in Rhyme.


sonages-Wills by Word Of
Mouth and in Rhyme.
The subject of wills, said lawyer to
the Herald representative. has peculiar
interest for US, particularly where con
siderable estate is devised. We are moi
only curious to know how man wishes
his property to 60 after he is through
with it, but it seems like voice from
the dead declaring how it shall go. II
is usually written in the most solemn
moment of a mans life. At that mo
ment one realizes to the full that he
brought nothing into this world and can
take nothing out, and that, after the
tongue is hushed and the heart stilled,
his commands will be spoken and his de-
sires obeyed. Associated as it is with
such thoughts as these, it is not strange
that we arc eager to know how Mr.. Van
derbilt, or Mr.. Astor, or Mr.. Tilden, OF
Mr.. Storey disposes of his fortunes. A:
a matter of fact, being strangers to them,
we do not care whether they endow {
college or cst. but if their wills happer
to be published in the papers, we read
them first, as the most toothsome item:
Of news.
There are many very curious and &C.
centric wills described in the books, and
some strange phases of human nature are
illustrated in them. Some men, who in
life would not give cup of water to 6
begoar, by their wills leave enormou:
sums to charity. Those are the will:
that usually take a course through The
courts, with handsome pickings for the
lawyers on the way. All charitable be-
quests are construed with the utmost
strictncss. About ten years ago H. H
Taylor, of this city, died, leaving will
drawn by himself. After providing fol-
his wife and son, as he thought quite
llbera ly, he devised the residue of hiE
estate, about $500, 900, to seven trustee:
to found charitable institution such s.
they should deem best. In case they
elected not to do so, the trustees were tc
turn over the estate to the Home of the
Friendless. AS o matter of course the
will WIGS contested, and, after thorough
legal inquiry, it was found that the char
table cause would not hold water.
After considerable litigation the case was
compromised, and the Home of the
FIiendless got 5000, 900 and the heirs
the remainder.
A man in New Jersey, not long since,
left his estate to pay off the National
debt. The will was contested, of course,
but the courts have recently held il
valid. In the last century Sir JOSEPH
Jekyll did the same thing in England.
Simple matter as it really is, lawyers
have not always been successful in draw
ing their own wills. lord St. Leonard,
High Chancellor of England, who, as
Edward Sugden, was the most eminent
chancery lawyer in England. and who
with number of law books, one partic'
ularly with very elaborate chapter OF
drawing wills, drew his own will, and il
required an expensive lawsuit and the
d. cision of court of chancery to give
it proper effect. The will of Lord West.
bury, another Lord High Chancellor
drawn by himself, met with the same
fate. could give you many similar In
stances.
There have been devises to animals OF
for their benefit which have been hello
valid to cats, dogs, horses, and even
parrots. Not infrequently people have
undertaken to show their spite and
hatred, and sometimes their humor, IN
wills.
The will of Lord Pembroke in the
seventeenth century has several items OF
that kind-for instance: 'Item-I give
nothing to my Lord Saye, and | do make
him this legacy willingly, because know
that he will faithfully distribute it unto
the poor. Item-I give up the ghost.
Lord Bacon had no property to leave,
but he left regularly executed will, II
which he bequeathed his name and mem
ory Ito mems charitable speeches, tc
foreign nations, and the next ages. '
Shakespeare left an elaborate will, which
contains clause that has puzzled the
Shakespeareans not a little: Il give
unto my wife my second best bed, with
the furniture" Why did he only give
Ann Hathaway his second best, and moi
his best bed9 Nothing else did she get
and the would has sought in vain to know
the reason why.
Napoleon in his will left a handsome
legacy to a W.T., tch named Chasillon, wht
had attempted to assassinate yelling
ton.
The will of Rabelais has this clause
81 have no available property; 1 owe
great deal; the rest I give to the poor.
His last words when dying were: Il g
to sec the great Perhaps" A famou
French abbe had this pithy clau in hi
will: ''To my steward l leave nothing
because he has been in my service to-
eighteen years.
1t is not unusual for a man to leave al
his property to his wife, with the rrovis
that if she marries again she is to hav
only what the law allows her. I hav
drawn number of such wills. Cover
nor Morris, the celebrnted American
statesman, did not treat his wife 80. H
had married very lato in life Ann Ran
dolph, a cousin OF John, OF Roanoke,
woman much younger than himself, ant
with whom he lived very happily. H
bequeathed very handsome income t
her, and then provided that in case sh
married again the income should b
doubled.
A sollier or sailor is allowed to max
nuncur ativc will-that is, will b
word of mouth, by which personal estat
may be dispoaed of, but you, being cl
villain, must make yours in writing. !
don't matter much what the writing