The Irish standard., 1893-07-29
EXPENSIVE REQUESTS.
The Cost of Leaving Heirlooms to
Minor Legatees.

The Cost of Leaving Heirlooms to
Minor Legatees.
Articles Of Small Value That Necessitate
the Appointment of q Guardian and
an Outlay of Many Times tho
Worth Of the Article.
It has doubtless occurred to everyone
to make will. Even though his or
her worldly possessions may be but
trifing, there is sufficient amount of
sentiment attached to them to occasion
desire for their proper distribution
after death, says the New York News.
This is especially true as regards
personal effects. How many of us
possess heirlooms in the shape of lock-
cts, trinkets, rings and snuH-boxes,
whose only value is that they been
bequeathed to us by some old aunt or
uncle long since dead. Very probably
they have devised their houses, stocks
and bonds to some favorite niece or
nephew, but they are too thoughtful of
our feelings to leave us entirely out in
their wills. So we are Remembered
by the gift of trifling bauble, which
sentiment demands of us to regard as
extremely precious. Yet these good
old people are generally ignorant Of
the expense to which the transfer Of
such petty requests will subject their
estate if the benefciaries happen to be
minors. For in that case it was the
duty of the surrogate-in New York
state at least to appoint especial
guardians to look after the interests of
the young legatees until a recounting
of the estate had been made. The re-
, numerati allowed to these persons is
frequently far in excess of the value of
the requests. The surrogate has alb
solute authority to award a special
guardian any sum he may see fit. There
is a wise law limiting the fees paid to
the attorney of an accountant execu-
| tor, but none describing the fees that
: a special guardian may collect.
Here are few cases in point. Not
long ago an old lady of New York city
died and left a will bequeathing her
property to be divided equally between
her son and daughter. She had a
grandson also whom she remembered
by leaving him an old mahogany
/, bureau that was an heirloom in the
,, family. The boy was a minor and con-
sequently a special guardian was ap-
pointed by the surrogate. The neces-
sary labor entailed upon this man need
not have occupied him for twenty min
utes at the utmost, yet he was allowed
fifty dollars for his services. In view
of the fact that the bureau was valued
by the appraiser at only five dollars,
the enormity of the special guardians
fee is apparent. An old gentleman
died in Harlem a year ago, leaving a
small amount Of property to be divided
among host of nieces and nephews,
some Of whom had attained their
majority, while others were minors.
For these latter three different guardi-
ans were appointed. The old gentle
mans estate consisted of personal eff
fects and was worth at the most fifteen
hundred dollars. The special guardians
were awarded one hundred and fifty
dollars, which was equivalent to tax
of ten per cent. upon the estate.
/ In one of the northern counties of
New York state an old woman died re-
Gently, leaving. among other requests,
brass locket containing a lock of her
hair to a grandniece who is still in
swaddling clothes The trinket was
not worth fifty cents, yet, according
to the law, a special guardian had to
be appointed to look after the infants
interests. He was allowed twenty-five
dollars for his services, and the old
woinan's estate had to suffer to that
extent. Of course the special guardian
in this case was paid for performing a
farcical duty, but the surrogate was
supported by the law in awarding him
the money, and the executors had to
pay it.
In each of these cases the money
paid out to special guardians might
have been saved to the estate if the
small requests to minors had been ex-
cluded from the will. Where a person
desires to give token of remembrance
to minor it is always the best policy
to give it personally while living,
rather than to bequeath it in a will
after death. The fees of special
guardians are a part of the patronage
controlled by surrogates, and it is
only natural that they should use them
to increase their prestige. That they
should invariably make these fees
commensurate with the amount of
work done by their agents, or even
commensurate with the value of the
requests these men are appointed to
protect, is out of the question. This
should be the case, but unfortunate
it is not.
At Washington Reception.
The comments of high life below
, stairs on the fashionable entertain
ments given in Washington are char
acteristic and amusing, says Kate
Fields Washington. The last large re-
ception given by ex-Postmaster Gen
eral and Mrs. Wanamaker, it will be
remembered, was to the employees of
the post office department, without re-
gard to age, sex or previous condition
of servitude. In speaking of the ap-
preaching entertainment one of the
ruests of the house. thinking to please