Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-12-25
UNCLE TOMS WILL.
Peculiar circumstances Of Its Loss
and Recovery.

and Recovery.
About twenty years ago there died in
Southern Ohio queer old character named
Thomas Martin. He was never married,
and his eccentricitIes made his name q IA
miliar one in several counties, He lived In
n little log house on q farm about four miles
from a village, andasometimes he was alone
for months, and again he would have his
house crowded with his relatives. While
father and mother were dead, he had three
brothers and four sisters living and in the
same county. One day he might meet one Of
them and hand him twenty-dollar gold
piece. The very next day he would pass
the same person by without speaking. As
he was worth ABOUT 500, 1000, all made by
the sale OF oil wells found on his lands in
Pennsylvania, and as his relatives were all
poor, none of them dared offend him. II
he treated them coldly they put up with it;
IL he insisted on some family staying with
HIM for week they made every sacrifice
TO please him.
There was a layer of humor in the old
mans composition withal. think he rea-
soned that all his relatives expected slice
of his wealth, and he intended that each one
should have it, but he proposed to make
them earn it as far as they could. II he
knew that his brother James was planting
corn, and in q great hurry to get through,
he would send for him and insist that he
hunt or fish or go looking over the country
for some plant or root needed for sickness.
II his brother Henry was extra busy in his
saw-mill, the old man was sure TO send up
q message to him to come down and take a
vvitch-h hazel rod and go wandering over the
hills to locate metals. There was only one
bed in the house, and yet the old man would
insist that family of eight come and visit
HIM and sleep where they could. Twice
year he killed lamb. The rest OF the time
ne lived on pudding and milk and vege-
tables.
Uncle Tom, as every body called him, was
over seventy years OF age when first knew
him, and it must have seemed to his rel
atives that he intended to live to be hun
dred AS the years went by he really
seemed TO improve, and it was cold day
when he couldn't think of some new trick
10 play on those who anxiously waited for
him to turn up his toes. He had made
will as was known In q certain law ONCE,
dividing up his wealth pro rata, but one day
something occurred to determine him to
revoke it, He had sent for his brother Henry
and family to cone TO him at once. Henry
was saving lumber on contract, one OF
the children was ailing, and he returned
worn Inhb uO IOnhA uOb OOAhO' ms 'seS SAS
first time he had ever refused such a de-
mand, and when the messenger returned
the old man boiled over with indignation.
He sent for his lawyer to come and make
new will, and the lawyer, OF course,
brought the old one. He saw this laid on
the clock shelf, and it was lying there when
he went away. The new will was not en-
tirely completed that day. Martin said he
might want to make some other changes,
and so he did. His sister May, who was an
old maid, was with him that day, and after
the lawyer had gone Martin wanted 70
lower her down in the well TO recover lost
bucket She was timid and afraid, sad the
result was that she was ordered TO pack up
and leave, and was told plainly that she
need not expect dollar.
Nor was this all. Having got his hand in,
as it were, the old man went for another
brother, and forced rupture, and then
eent for a lawyer and cut the three persons
of with a legacy of one hundred dollars
each. He signed the new will and placed
a. with the other, saying he would keep
hoth for a few days and see IL any thing
else turned up Then, in order to show his
contempt fog his relatives, he sent for a
woman named Thatcher to keep house for
him. This woman was grass widow,
about forty years old, and was locked upon
as half crazy and the other half foolish.
She was employed in the village at laundry
work. Martin bought her clothes and
iewelry, aud even gave out that he would
marry her, and he was heard to say moro
than once that not one of his relatives
should ever get dollar Of his money.
One night two months after the Thatcher
woman went to live with him, he got bad
fall while bringing in wood. He had to be
helped TO bed, but only a portion OF what
followed was known for many months
afterward. The old man felt that his last
hour had come, and he got rid of her for q
few minutes by sending her out to the
barn. Which will he meant to burn no one
will ever know, but he got up and burned
one Of them. Both were duly sealed and
attested, and both were equally good in
law. That ne did burn one of them wa:
sure Thirty hours later some one hap
,,ened TO visit the cabin, and the old mar
was found dead in his bed, the woman haC
1iisappeared and the wills were missing
with all that money at stake there was
great excitement, OF course, and the reia
tives gave me the case to work Up. No ont
knew. until l overhauled the ashes In tb'
Fireplace, that any thing had been burned
4 6eund scraps Of paper, proving that
1eaa1 ora of the wills had been destroyed
80 far "a | could tell both might have
been burned at the same time One hat
been, any how, and the question OF which
81 was interested every relative.
II seemed curious why Mrs. Thatche
had gone away, and still more curious tha
she had escaped observation. As ne oai
had met her in the village or on the high
way. it must be concluded that she ha'
reasons for hiding. If one Of the VIII
had been preserved she probably knew
ats whereabouts, as the whole cabin ha
been hunted over and over again withou
bringing it 70 light. My first step, there
fore, was to discover her; but when
fairly sharp man pits himself against
half idiot le may be beaten ] made
circuit fo ~ miles around on horss
back. an .Set hundred peopl