Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-03-28
THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT.


Likely 20 Ensue---The charity and
Benevoience Clauses.
The Moline Dispatch publishes the
will of the late DR.. r. S. Knowles, under
which the chancery suit spoken of in the
ARGUS of Wednesday. has been brought
in the Rock Island county circuit court,
with determination to recovery proper
ty given and bequesthed by the late wild
ow of the deceased doctor to deserving
purposes. This will, which is now a
document of much public interest. bears
date of August 20. 1854. and was written
fifteen years before Mr.. Knowles death,
and as it is said of him that while he was
g learned man and physician, and at the
same time man Of the severes; close
ness in matters pertaining to money-so
close. indeed, that this tait might well be
termed misery penuriousness-his will
was bound to be something OF curiosity
regarding the manner in which he desired
TO dispose of his wealth.
The paper starts out by commencing
his soul into the hands of his heavenly
Father. trusting in his goodness and mer-
cy, and hoping "to be saved through the
merits and grace OF Jesus Christ, my di>
vine Redeemer The will leaves the
burial of his body to his wife, and APP
points Judge Gould and Alfred Williams,
OF Moline, and John II. Small of Chica>
go. executors; no bonds to be given. but
they to be held Individually responsible
for their acts. Any misuse of the estate
TO be made good by the executors, by
proper process. and TO 90 to the general
estate TO apply to the general purposes of
the will, in double the amount misused,
as fine upon the executors for allowing
misrepresentation. He gives to his three
gives TO his niece, A NJ w. Carpenter
at the death or marriage of his wife, Ger
tain silver spoons and forks; to his
nephew. Niles. watch. He gives to his
wife, after death and legscies are paid, as
provided in the will, all his real and per
sonal estate, and partly specified, but
gives all of every nature to her for her
use during life or until married, for all
suitable supplies for her personal support,
aud devises that executors shall employ,
instead of dover. such portions of his
estate or income as shall make, according
TO her mode or custom of living. full and
ample provisions for her benefit-and
here comes the clause under which she,
late in her life, distributed various benev-
olences-"together with such other
amounts as may seem TO her needful aud
beneficial for charitable and benevolent
purposes-for the purchase of ornaments,
books or other reading matter-for lee
lures, exhibitions, travelling. or other
matters of social enioyments, to what ex-
ient her pruednce and discretion may die
tate-hoping and trusting she may ever
make the common interests of life fully
subservient TO her best state of health and
the highest enjoyment of the christian
religion" and in case of bodily or mental
disorder special request is made that ex>
ecutoTs shall make due provisions for her
care and comfort. And he ordains that,
on marriage of his wife, the care of the
estate shall fall to the executors, and it is
further ordained that they shall pay tc
her, instead of the dover, the one third
of the income from all of his estate, an
nuslly in such sums and at such times ss
they shall deem just and proper during
her natural life" after marriage. And
finally, he ordains and appoints that
after the death of his wife, the proceeds
of his estate shall be employed and used
and fully spent in publishing ANY and
all books, pamphlets, tracts. poems and
other matter, furnished in full or in part,
written and composed on various sub
jects by me. including notes, explana.
tons or remarks on portions of the
scripture, or aupfragmentsry matter pre-
pared by me in manuscript or otherwise,
or found in my private correspondence.
of which copies are retained and all, or
any portion of said writings to be Drop
erly arranged, corrected and completed.
according to the apparent primary signi-
f1cation, views and designs of its author,
as may seem to require before publish
ing And in the meantime said execu
tors shall publish such number of copie s
OF either the new testament alone, or
the old and new testament together, as
their concurrent discretion may deem
wise and expedient, but shall include in
each copy OF both, such snnotations or
remarks as l have prepared for that pur>
pose, and that each copy of the old
testament shall embrace opposite its
title page-or some other more suitable
place-the verses | composed on THE
Bible, and that each copy of the new
testament, when published separate
from the old, shall also contain at its
close, and in addition to the notes afore
said, the stanZas-some twenty five-I
composed, as embracing ard illustrating
the peace sentiments, and harmonizing
with the plain teachings of the new tes-
lament, under which we, ''in these last
days." are required to live, and which
seem to rise above the Judaism in the
past ages of the old testament require
ments; and also facing the title page Of
each copy of the new testament, which
Is intended to be distributed gratis, to
contain in addition to other notes as
aforesaid, this remark. namely: Friend
/ give you this book to read today" with
the donors name added thereto. 1t is
given as his special desire and request
that "a much larger proportion" of bis
estate-independent of the publishing of
his other matter--be expended in pub
fishing the new testament than in pubs
fishing the old Instrumentation it is the
new testament Sin spirit" for man TO
adopt ''in these latter days. under which
man is evidently now living. Finally he
requests that the said publication be
made on the most favorable terms for it's
own best interests. and given to the pub
lie, similar to the practice adopted by
the tract on bible societies, making sales
where it can be done with propriety, that
the means for publication may be further
extended. so that the ultimate and high
est object of its donor may be secured.
namely in giving truth to the world and
the widest possible circulation of the