Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-09-19
SOME CURIOUS WILLS
EccENTRlciTIEs AND WHIMslcALlTlEs
oFSTEsTATORs.

'4Cutting or with shilling" Favorite
Plan-Leaving Parts Of the Body to Doc
tors-Some Wills Are Humorous, and
Others Are Noticeable For Their Brevity.
There is a refreshing quaintness about
some old bequests. Walter le Taillour,
for instance, in 1906, according to the
will recorded in the city Of London court
Of husting, left Ito Richard, his son, the
reversion of tenement held by Richard
le Bakere for life, receiving yearly imme-
diately after the testator's death a rent of
half mark and weekly penny tart in
respect Of the said tenement. He also
left fourpence to London bridge. There is,
however, spirit of geniality about this
will which is very different from that of
the man who left his son-in-law lone
penny to buy him a whistle"
The single shilling has of course been
left in q large number of cases, but we do
not often hear of a receipt being given for
the money. Yet in 1899 Richard Harring-
ton Of Guided Morden, in Cambridgeshire,
left his daughter, Mary Martin, and her
husband shilling each, and his executrix
paid it and got the receipt, still in exist
once, dated March II, 1900. There was
man who in 1901 left his wife shilling
to be paid to her within six months after
his death, and as his reason for doing so
remarked, Seeing that I have had the
misfortune to be married to the aforesaid
Elizabeth, who ever since our union has
tormented me in every possible way"
A good many single shillings have been
left as q cheap advertisement with the OBJ
ject of keeping the testator's name alive,
much in the style of the man at Wath
who left, among other ct ceteras, shil-
ling to every poor woman in the parish, a
guinea to seven navvies for ''pnddling
him up in his grave" guinea to the old
woman who had tucked him up in his
bed" and "40 dozen penny loaves to be
thrown from the church roof at noon ev-
cry Christmas day forever" Of this kind
of thing there are many examples, but
most of the shillings, sixpences, pennies
and penny buns have to be displayed In
all their glory on the testator's tombstone.
One man leaves his money to his son
"on condition that he shave off his mus
tache;" another leaves his to his nephews
ION condition that they rise at O'Clock
in the summer and o'clock in the win
ter" another leaves his to a friend ION
condition that he always wears black"
another that the fortunate man should
wear mourning ring. There was John
Reed, who left his head ''to be prepared
so as to be used as the skull of Yorick in
the play of Hamlet by Shakespeare"
having evidently felt the inconvenience of
not having an article of the kind in stock.
There was DR.. Wagner, who left his limbs
to different friends for dissecting- pur-
poses. There was DR.. Ellerby, who left his
heart to one man, his lungs to another,
and his brain to another to be preserved
from decomposition, and pleasantly add
ed, "If either of the gentlemen named
fail to execute this, will come and tor
ment them until they shall comply" thus
reminding us of the Mr.. Zimmerman who
desired in 1S4O to be buried plainly and
in decent manner, land If this be not
done will come again-that is, If canl''
One gentleman, a cremationist before his
time, wishes his body to be placed in one
of the gas retorts Of the Imperial Gas COM
pany. Another, desiring his body to be
converted to useful purposes, suggests
fiddle strings, smelling salts and optical
lenses as being the forms in which he
would like it to appear for the benefit of
mankind. Some prefer to be disposed of
in the ordinary way, but in extraordinary
places.
But what shall we say of the gentleman
who wished his grave to be a battlefield
and left enough money to provide 90 Irish
men every year with knives and stout
shillalahs, armed with which they were to
meet over his grave and drink whisky by
the half pint, and then he grfnly con-
tinues, knowing what know Of the
Irish character, my conviction is that
with these materials they will not fail to
destroy each other.''
Some people are most considerate in
their thoughtfulness for the welfare of
those who have been dependent on them.
Annuities have been left to animals of all
classes. Count Mirandola left an annuity
20 his fish; Mrs. Harper left e100 to her
black cat; a Mrs. Hunter left 9200 year
o her parrot; another widow left ESQ a
year to her canaries; DR.. Christiani left
$4,000 1orins to his dogs with remainder
1t their death to the University of Vienna;
a Mr.. Garland left annuities to his monkey,
his dog and his cat.
A good many testators leave a joke be-
hind them, hoping apparently to enjoy it
in future state. One Of the most absurd
examples of this elaborate fooling was
that furnished by the trousers man, who
owned no less than II pairs Of those use
full garments. These he directed to DO
taken as they were and sold by public auc-
ton, no person being allowed to buy more
than one pair. The first pair fetched but
trifle, and great was the purchasers joy
at finding bank notes to the value Of R200
in the pocket. The bidding progressed by
leaps and bounds as every subsequent pair
was found to contain a similar amount,
but the residuary legatee was anything
but gratified at the return he got for that
e14, 200 and the trousers.
Some wills are in rhyme, like that Of
the worthy Smithers:
As to all my worldly goods. now or to be in
store,
give to my beloved wife as hers for evermore.
give all freely. / no limit fix.
This Is my will, and she's executrix.
Some are commercially short, like that
of the city merchant who left 940O, 900 tc
his wife and children by few lines writ.
ten inside an envelope. But the shortest
will at Somerset House is in eight words,
Mrs. Browne to have all when die. -
Leisure Hour.
Hand Numeration.
The Indians of Guiana have a curious
II