The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-09
QUEER ARTIST LANG'S WILL
EVIDENCE HTs BRorHER ms FOUND
TO PROVE MN INSANE
FIve-eent Cigars were Good EsouEh .ua ne
Drspk wbt.tey Isstssd of Wins-Hs Wa
AFRAID ST.. ReIations You'd Poison Hi-.

Five.esn, Cissr. were Good E.oush s-s ne
Drsnk Wbt.tey Isstssd of Wins-Hs Wa
Airsts Hi- Relations Wourd roisop Hi-.
Surrogate Fitzgerald took testimony yestsr-
day In the contest Of TIE will Of Louis or Alois
Lang. the old artist. who died in MAY last The
contest IL made By his brother. Johann Nepo-
muck Lang. who came here from Germany for
the purpose.
Louis Lang was very eccentric He was a
bachelor and lived in Waverley place. His
room was filed with curios and paintings and
sketches. His estate Is valued at about s6o.-
900. not including his paintings. His will
was holographic and was inscribed. Part
American and Part German" II was badly
written and contained many interlinentions
aud erasures By It Mr.. Lang divided hisifor-
tune among artist societies and his native
village. waldsee. in Germany The bequest
to Waldsee was for the maintenance OF soup
and coffee houses for the sick. disabled. hon.
est. aud good old citizens OF tho village. He
wrote In his will sc am not . Catholic since
forty years" The will had two dates, MaJ -
1880 and May O. 1850 Mr.. Lang was said TO
be about - years OF age at the time OF his
death. He appointed William W. Appleton
and Alfred Roeken executors
In codicil which has just been made pub
lie the old man said:
nave since forty ysars sent to nv relations m any
many hundred, OF forms in order to their nves
Ny brother Nepomuck Is the last who sru botherng
me with demands for help. and he is still rscstvtng
assistance from me have not me ntionsd his young
est son. Hubert, In last wilt because he is too bad
partly ctazy-but this IL not the worst. He is thor
oughy dssoiu,e VAS three times in New York. where
his father sent him. lie psrssversd nowhere. lie
brought shame on me. had 10 send him back every
Vme to waidsee at great expense.
RI vas only . painter. had to earn every
norn With my brush IN foreign countries am tired
my eighty years ana my noble friends would desire
me to end ia't days city and peacefully. Ihsve
gwen directons to send my portrait painted by mr.
set to waidsee after my death
Douglas Levine and William F. Morris ap-
pear for the contestant. and Lawyers Cham
bers and Dulon represent tho executors OF the
will
Patrick Cunningham. who was one Of the
Oldest friends the old artist had. was exam
ined as q witness for the contest He said
that after 1888 and 1889 there had been MAJ
terisl change in the mannerisms. conduct,
habits, and characteristics OF the old artist.
appeared to he more forgotiui than previous
~. lie complained TO the witness OF the loss
smoee spod nirsps becausc be said aIeec.n NJ
cigars seemed lust rs good. Wheneyer he
received any good eigars he Invariably gave
which he had with him. Once Mr. Lang was
yery fond OF wine, but toward the end Of his
took took to to- d rink Whisky Instead. a"u
which he irsaaeniIS Dat hair dye. Ills doc,oP
told him that he would have to stop using hair
was in fear Of his nephew. and seemed to
think that he would poison him to get his
the n neiheS at the susres,ioh Of y Mf. cnnninS.
ham. and planned that the young man should
take, care OF him; When the nephew arrived
cumstances. He gave money to Mr. Cunning
ham to send him back 70 Germany:
Hubert Lang. the nephew. testified that In
former years his uncle was very kind TO him.
but his conduct changed. one day he over
am afraid he is going to try to poison rae
Mrs. Mary Englehert. the daughter OF Pat
was very proud and vain. lie 6as vain Of his
rich friends in this COUNTRY, and ashamed OF
wa, afraid his relations would poison him.
The, brother, John Neponuck Lang, was on
artist. Being a party in Interest he was not
permitted to testify as to any fact Of import
ance.
An undertaker's bill for the funeral ex-
penSes OF Nr Lang was put in evidence. ono
amount OF over sIOO il was also shown that
the old man had an income OF 81, 7OOa year.
arg Ch o. ms ne ne s , on himself sil d
and testimony was given by friends OF the
artist to show that he was com petent to make
National Academy OF Design. and Augustine !
Smith. an artist, testified that they never
observed anything about his conduct to lead |
them 10 believe that no was of unsound mind. |
, Mr.. Cunningham was recalled to testify that |
he borrowed from Mr.. Lang over year ago !
u 800. lie received draft for this sum. |
When II was first presented to Appleton X Co., |
who had LAng's funds. they refused TO pay ii, |
and wanted TO know IL the old man was crazy.
as he had never made such big draft before. |
Mr.. Cunnin CHAM said he repaid the money |
before Lang died. Mr Appleton testified that |
the draft was not paid at first because the |
Lang aboutit At that time they had about |
$4,000 OF hiS money.
This concluded the testimony with the ex- |
caption Of evidence to show that ths village OF |
Waldsee Is able to take a legacy under the |
laws OF Germany.