The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-11-02
JACOB BEESON'S WILL.
A STRANGE TALE OF DOCUMENTS LOSS
AND FINAL RECOVERY.

! DttSoh tllbtI cNl tllc 10 " OlllCt Vi 11tIi1
Platt IN the town of Little Falls anc
said to the lawyer:
See here. Henry. we'd better fix ur
that will this afternoon. You git al
ready and I'll be back in half an hour
Jacob Beeson was a farmer and wortl
about $4,000. while | was studying
law with Mr.. Platt Twice during tht
last six months ne had dropped in tC
talk about a viii and his visits were o.
peculiar interest to me- The old man
was a widower and Mary Thompson
! his niece had lived with him for several
years and was likely to be handsomely
remembered in the will. / was TWEEN
ty years old and Mary was a yeal
younger, says a writer IN the Chicago
Times, and we were engaged, though
the old man knew nothing about it
| One of his sisters was his housekeepel
and the only child had grown to man
! hood and left home long ago. Bill
Beeson, as this SOD was famiharly
called, had made the father no end O1
| trouble. and was even then serving
out sentence in state prison. A
| draft of will was ready against the
old mans return, and as he removed
! his overcoat, comforter, and yarn NIT
| tens, he said:
BILL has been a drefful bad boy, as
you know, Henry, but l can't forgit
| that he is of my own flesh and blood
Nobody would blame me if l cut him
off with shillin' but I've made up my
mind to leave him 'nuff to start Oh
when he comes outer prison. [ want
it fixed about this way: Say $4,000
to my niece Mary, $4,000 to my
sister Polly, $4,000 to Bill, $1,000 to
build Baptist meetin' house, and the
rest, if thar should be any, to fixin' ur
the town graveyard and buildin' &
free bridge across Cedar creek |
calkerlate I'm wuth between $4,000
and $4,000, but we can't tell how
much OF a shrinkage thar may be-"
The will was drawn as he dictated
and went out and got witnesses tc
sign it. Mr.. Plat had been the old
mans lawyer for several years and
had kept all his papers in the office
safe. This will, when duly signed, was
placed in the strong box by my own
hands, and | felt like shouting when
| realized how generously Mary had
been remembered. When all was
over the old man, the lawyer and the
witnesses went out to have drink to
gether, while | remained to take care
Of the office. They had not been gone
more than two minutes when [ got {
call from a tramp. He had an unusu
ally pathetic story to tell, and as
had no change stepped out to get {
bill broken. He was not left alone
knew that the money drawer of the
safe was locked He went away bless
ing me, and the incident soon passed
out of my mind.
The 18th day of March, almost two
months later, Jacob BeeSOn was killed
by his team running away as he was
driving into town. Within an hour O.
the calamity his son Bill arrived home
having served his time. The funera
was to be held the 2lst, and the vii
was to be read after the ceremonies
Mr.. Platt asked me to go out will
him, and it was noon Of the 21s
before he went to the safe for the Will
We had half dozen wills in certain
pigeon hole, and Jacob Beeson's haC
been placed on top of the pile. ",
were not at all upset therefore wheI
we failed to find it there, but tifteeI
minutes later, when every piece o
paper had been overhauled and th,
will was still missing, we were in de
spair. Burglars had never touched
the safe, nor was any other pape
missing. The lawyer remembered o
seeing me deposit the will, and wnel
| ran out and brought in the witnesse
they also remembered the fact. Nh
Beeson had not been in the offic,
since, and there had been no occasion
to look at the will. We hunted higl
and low, but it could not be found
We couldn't believe that it had beer
distracted from the safe, for no oppor
tunitv had offered, and no one outsid
of the four of us knew that a viii ha(
been made. Beeson had not said
word to his sister or neice, and Mr.
Platt, who knew of my love affair will
the latter. had cautioned me to drol
no hint. We concluded that the pape
had somehow been mislaid, and thi
was the explanation made after th
funeral.
Bill Beeson had come home to tel
his father that he had reformed ant
was resolved to be better man. Ih
father might have believed in hin
but no one else would. He was re
garded by the public as thorough
paced scoundrel and no one was de
: ceived by his hypocritical demeano
at the funeral. He was no doubt Sc
cretly glad at the death of his father
He was probably hoping that no Wi
had been made, for a look of srpris
and disappointment was noticed whe
4 the announcement was made. Late
] on he wanted to know how the proper
I ty had been left, but of course we CAV
! him nc satisfaction. We returne
! straight to the Office and began
! search which lasted the night through
Everything was investigated and il
spected, but when daylight came th
J will had not been found We wei
} certain then that it lad been abstrac
= ed from the safe. But by whom an
at what time? Bill Beeson was
prison at the time and could not hay
known of the making of the will.
Wesat down to recall the past day |
day, and neither of Us could rememb
of any stranger visiting the Office sin
: the will was made Three men we
I positive of seeing me take the pap
! from the lawyers hands and step ov
\ to the safe with it. l was positi
4 that l placed it on top of the 9th
4 wills in pigeonhole. 1t had disa
i peared. Figure and theorize as '
s might, and as we did, we could con
to no satisfactory conclusion. l W
3 sent to the prison where Bill Bees,
was serving his sentence, but it a
u LII LA L 1