The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-03-29
WHIMSICAL REQUESTS.
WILLS THAT HAVE AMUSED THE
WORLD, BUT NOT THE HEIRS.

| How an Englishman Got Even with His
Wife - Curious and Frivolous French
WiiiS-Provision for Cremation-Dread
OF Being Buried Alive.
! Men seldom sit down to write their wills
nowadays in merry mood Their humor
seems to be exhausted before they reach the
/ testamentary stage. Most modern wills are
severely business like and suggestive of pro-
/ priety, but spirit of i'll natured waggery
/ turks in them occasionally. These read as
/ though the authors had spent the last years
OF their lives in enjoyment of the disappoint-
InentS they had prepared for expectant rela-
tives There was the case of the city solicit
tor, who submitted TO be called an ''old pig'
( by his wife when alive, but revenged himself
in his will by leaving her farthing, with
directions that it was to be posted to her I'M
paid. We can imagine how this grim tesla
tor almost welcomed death for the sake of
getting even with his wife
Mr.. ". D. Foster, the dramatic company
promoter, would have no wonan present at
his funeral If his wife survived him. bs
would be cremated: Otherwise, ne would be
strangest cases occurred in France NJ Tray
ers, declaring the French to be "a nation Of
dastards and fools, left his whole fortune to
the poor Of London, and further ordered
that his body should be launched into the
sea n mile from the English coast An at
tempt was made to declare this unpatriotic
Frenchman insane, but the court of appeal
upheld the will.
to frivolity than we are in the disposal of
their estates One bright specimen actually
provided that new cooking recipe should
be pasted on his tomb each day. There was
more force, however, in the frivolity of the
French lawyer who left 10000 to a local
madhouse, declaring that it was simply an
act Of restitution to his clients
CREMATION CLAUSES.
Cremation clauses are now becoming COM
mon, but these appear only in the wills OF adj
vanced and strong minded people Other
provisions are made by nervous people,
moved chiefly by the dread Of being buried
alive. This was the case with Mr. John
BiouGt Price, justice of the peace, of Isling-
ton, whose will was recently published. Mr.
BlOuut declared III his Will that four DAYS
after death two skIllful surgeons were to be
paid 60 each to perform such an operation
on his body as would prevent the possibility
of his coming to life in his coffin.
The ViscOunt de Carros Lima, who threat
ened his heirs with the loss of their property
if they buried him il the family vault, fur
Their enjcined on them to have his body
watched until decomposition set in. A sim
liar provision was made by Mr. Dennis Croft
ton, an Irish gentleman, last year. One
Vienna millionaire was so anxious about
his corpse that he would not let it be left IN
the dark Not only did ne provide Cor the
vault to be lighted by electricity, but ne also
ordered the coffin to be so illumined, science
thus coming in a grewsome fashion to the aid
Of security.
PROVOKING PROPOSITIONS.
Lord Marlborough claimed by will the pc
culiar privilege of being twice buried. His
remains are now finally laid TO rest in Bard
sey Island, off the Welsh coast; but to the
dead peers honor be it SAID that the strictest
economy was enjoined i'll his obseauies, and
the housekeeper at Bonvean, vino watched
his every glance, received legacy of 5000
and an annuity of goo year.
The waiting will is a constant source Of
irritation. The professors of Vienna univer-
sity were delighted to learn that Count Hard
egg had lett their Institution 260, 900, but
when IL came out that the money was 10 ac-
Cumuate for a hundred years, by which time
1t would have increased to SIS, 900, 600, the
wits decided that Count Hardegg should have
been styled half boiled. The most hard head
ed business men occasionally like to keep
tdeir heirs waiting. AIr. McCalmont, the
stock broker, provided that his nephew. Capt.
McCalmont, must wait seven years for his
inheritance OF three millions.
Perhaps the legatee who has the least
chance of realizing IS the one mentioned by
a wicked Finn, wEo left all his property to
the devil FINLAND IS now probably the only
couatry where the devil is a land owner
Some notice was taken al tie time of the fact
that the name Of the le-a,ee appeared IN cap
ital letters throughout the vii. The infer
ence was that the testatOr wished to make a
good impression on him, VITA an eye to secure
indulgences when they met. Even the devils
name in a viii Is better than none, which
has been the case with certain large proper
ties
A feature has been TIE tendency Of gentle
men TO draw up wills in favor If the ladies
70 whom they are engaged Mr.. Ralston, for
instance, left all MS property 10 Miss Annie |
VHetelly. In like manner Miss Bessie Mac
donald. young lady OF Glasgow, has become /
possessed OF q handsome legacy and hotel IN
New York. left 10 Ger by ore who hoped t.
marry her.-LgDdon Standard