The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-09-27
SOME CURIOUS WILLS
EoCENTRlclTIESA AND WHlMslCALITlEs
OF TESTATCRs.

Others Are Noticeable for Their Brevity.
There is refreshing quaintness about
Bome old bequests. Walter le Taillour,
for instance, In 1906, according TO the
will recorded in the city of London court
Of husting, left "to Richard, his son, the
reversion Of a tenement held by Richard
10 Bakere for life, receiving yearly imme-
diately after the testator's death a rent of
half a mark and weekly n 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 whistle"
The single shilling has of course been
left in 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 a shilling EACH and his executriX
paid it and got the receipt still in exist
ence, dated March II, 1900 There was
a man who in 1891 left his wife a shilling
to be paid to her within six months after
his death, and as his reason for doing so
remarked, "Seoing 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 a cheap advertisement with the OBJ
iect 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 pudding
him up in his grave, o 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
tacho;" 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 friend ION
U condition that he always wears black"
e another that the fortunate man should
a wear mourning ring. There was Johp
Reed, who left his head ito be prepared
so as to be used as the skull Of Yoricll in
= | the play of Hamlet by Shakespeare, =
having evidently folt the inconvenience Of
not having an article Of the kind in stock
z There was DR.. Wagner, who left his limbs
TO different friends for dissecting puf-
poses. There was DIR. Ellerhy, who left his
t heart to ono man, his lungs to another,
/ and his brain to another TO be preserved
, from decomposition, and pleasantly add
u ed, If either of the gentlemen named
n fail to execute this will come and tor
> ment them until they shall comply" thus
reminding us of the Mr. Zimmerman who
e desired in 1840 to be buried plainly and
|. in decent manner, land if this be not
done l will come again-Uhat Is, If l canl'
One gentleman, 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
It 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
II mankind. Some prefer to be disposed Of
% IN the ordinary way, but in extraordinary
places.
p But what shall we say of the gentleman
II who wished his grave TO be a battlefield
. and left enough money to provide 20 Irish
10 men every year with knives and stout
." shillalahs, armed with which thoy were q
"a meet over his grave and drink whisky by
the half pint, and then he grimly CON
tinucs, Knowing what / know of the
le Irish character, my conviction is that
d with these materials they viii not fail t(
~, destroy each other"
Some people are most Considerato il
" their thoughtiuluoss for the welfare o
. those who have been dependent on them
y Annuities have been left TO animals of al
N classes. Count Miandola left am annuiU
e. TO his fish; % Mrs. Harper left 600 60 he
i. black cat, "a Mrs. Hunter left E2OO "a yea
.d TO her parrot; another widow left G50
= year to her cauaries; Dr. Christiani lel
~ 90, 600 norins to his dogs, with remainde
'p at their death to the University of Vienna
81 q Mr.. Garland loft aunuitiGs TO his monkey
it his dog and his cat.
1t A good many testators leave a joke be
10 hind them, hoping apparently to enjoy
20 in a future state. Ono of the most absur
examples Of this elaborate fooling wa
y that furnished by the trousers man, VIII
Is owned no less than n pairs of those use
ee full garments These he directed to b
of taken as they were and sold by public au(
If tion, no person being allowed TO buy MOI
les than one pair. The first pair fetched bu
he a trile, and great was the purchasers jo
- at finding bank notes to the value of &2C
-, In the pocket. The bidding progressed b
'er leaps and bounds as every subsequent pa
we was found to contain a similar amoun
but the residuary legatee was anythir
.as but gratifled at the return he got for thu
&14, 300 and the trousers
III Some Wills are in rhyme, like that
ng the worthy Smithers:
.o AS to all my worldly goods, now or TO be
'' store,
be give 70 my beloved wife as hers for evermol
! give all freely. / no limit fix.
ne This is my Will, and she's executrix.
act Some arc commercially short, like tn
of the city merchant who left e400, 600
no his wife and children BY few lines wr
ed ten inside an envelope. But the shorte
to will at Somerset House is in eight word
~ Mrs. Browne to have all when die. :"
srs Leisure Hour,