The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-01-11
HUNTING FOR A WILL.

About twenty years ago there died
in southern Ohio a queer old char
acter named Thomas Martin. He
was never married, and his eccen-
tricities made his name q familiar
one in several counties. He lived
in a little log house on farm about
four miles from a village, and some
times he was alone for months, and
again he would have his house
crowded with his relatives, says a
writer in the New York Sun. While
father and mother were dead, he
had three brothers and four sisters
living, and in the same country
One day he might meet one Of them
and hand him $40 gold piece.
The very next day he would pass
the same person by without speak.
ing. AS he was worth about $780,
600, 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. Il
he treated them coldly they Put up
with it; if he insisted on some fam
lily 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 reasoned that all his rel
atives expected a 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. If he knew that his brother
James was planting corn and in a
great hurry to get through, he would
send for him and insist that he hunt
or fish or go looking over the coun.
try for some plant or root needed
for sickness. If his brother Henry
was extra busy in his sawmill, the
old man was sure to send up a mes.
sage to him to come down and take
a witch 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 insis;
that a family of eight come and
visit him and sleep where they
could. Twice a year he killed a
lamb. The rest of the time he lived
on pudding and milk and vegetables
Uncle Tom, as everybody called
him, was over 70 years of age wher
l first knew him, and it must have
seemed to his relatives that he in
tended to live to be a hundred. As
the years went by he really seemed
to improve, and it was a cold day
when he couldn't think of some new
trick to play on those who anxious
ly waited for him to turn up his
toes. He had made a will, as was
known in a certain law office, divid
ing up his wealth pro rata, but one
day something occurred to deter.
mine him to revoke it. He had sent
for his brother Henry and family to
come to him at once. Henry was
saving lumber on a contract, one
of the children was ailing, and he
returned word that he could not
come. This was the first time he
had ever refused such demand
and when the messenger returned
the old man boiled over with indig.
nation. He sent for his lawyer to
come and make a 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 entirely 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 to lower her down in the well
to recover a lost bucket. She was
timid and afraid, and the result was
that she was ordered to pack up and
leave, and was told plainly that she
needn't expect dollar.
Nor was this all. Having got his
hand in, as it were, the old man
went for another brother and forced
a rupture, and then sent for a
lawyer and cut the three persons
off with a legacy of 800 each. He
signed the new will and placed it
with the other, saying he would keep
both for few days and see if any
thing else turned up. Then, in or
der to show his contempt for his
relatives, he sent for a woman named
Thatcher to keep house for him.
This woman was a grass widow,
about forty years old, and was
looked upon as half crazy and the
other half foolish. She was en-
ployed in the village at laundry
work. Martin bought her clothes
and jewelry, and even gave out that
he would marry her, and he was
heard to say more 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 a bad fall while bring
ing in wood. He had to be helped
to bed, but only portion of what
followed was known for months af-
terward. The old man felt that his
last hour had come and he got rid