The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-04-06
Odd FI q B q JES
Curious Wishes Made by Persons
w hen Dying. q
Bequests Rave Been Made to Frovids
M u Drinks, shayes. Rides and Music for
AEOurners- Eccentric to
# sSss$s the LAST. 8 IL.

.SSs ~ he WOEl0alS IullE Ol CTStuhS, DIS EVERY
body knows, but the great majority Of
them conhne their eccentricities to
their life upon this sphere. Few OF
them make arrangements to keep them
selves before the public eye after death.
but the few who do so exhibit q fertility
Of ideas that would have been of great
value to them in the advertising line
during their lives.
The latest exponent Of post-mortem
crankism was queer old farmer OF
Kent, Saratoga county, this state, who
recently departed this life, says the
New York Advertiser. He left explicit
directions in his will as to his burial,
the most noteworthy being that he
should have his favorite pair Of raw
hide boots as part of his grave clothes
and that he should be taken to the
cemetery in the family sleigh. His
wishes were carried out to the letter
and he was whirled up to his last rest
ing place to the accompaniment of
iingling bells and buried with his boots
A Brooklyn saloonkeeper, who was
tions with his widow as he gasped
''Good-by" to set aside one hundred
dollars of his estate with which to pro-
vide beer for his friends on the dreary
drive to the cemetery. The widow not
only provided every carriage with fifty
bottles of the cheering beverage, but
drew on the saloon stock for two kegs
full, which were emptied at the side of
the coffin before it was taken from the
house.
Another saloonkeeper, Staten
Islander, whose place was a famous re-
sort for fishermen and was himself an
ardent angler, often said that he
would never lie content in the cold
ground. So he made arrangements to
have his body cremated and imposed
the ring Injunction on his friends to
see that his ashes were scattered about
on the salt water he loved so well,
from the head of the statue of Liberty.
His wishes were religiously carried out
and the funeral party returned to his
old saloon and drank 'shis health" as
provided in his will.
7 Still another saloonkeeper, whose
place was well over on the east side of
town and who was an inveterate fisher
man also, had his ashes committed to
the deep. He was member of a little
fishing club that went down in a tug to
Romer Shoals every Sunday during the
season. He found when on his death
bed that he had but fifty dollars be-
yond his cremation fees and he decided
to give the ''boys" good time with it.
He ordered that the money be applied
to the hiring and stocking of the tug
for the first trip after his death and
asked that his ashes be taken along
and dumped overheard at the shoals
while schooner of beer was drunk to
his memory. It was done as he ordered.
A female keeper of a tramps' lodging
house in Montreal is about the only
woman on record who devised for her
self funeral on other than convention
al lines. She left orders that all her
dodgers be provided with shave, a
breakfast and a high hat with mourn
ing ribbons, and that they all follow
her body to the grave behind two brass
bands. The bands were to play the
dead March in Saul on the outgoing
trip, but to play '.The Girl Left Be
hind Ne" all the way home. The
churches attempted to stop the carry
ing out of her remarkable injunctions,
but were unsuccessful, and the old
woman was serenaded as per desire.
The most horrible of all these grew
some provisions was that made by a
Virginia colonel, who died about TWEEN
ty-fye years ago, in Amelia county. He
demanded, under penalty of cutting off
from all his possessions, that his widow
have him put in an open coffin in a
clump of woods near the house, and
leave him there for six weeks. Every
morning and evening of that time she
was to come to him and brush his hair
and whiskers Luckily the colonel
shufaed off his mortal coil in the middle
of q very cold winter, SO he kept"
His widow was able to carry out his
wishes, therefore, and came into all his
property.
There are quite number of cases of
religious enthusiasts who have de-
manded to be buried in a standing po-
sition, SO as to be all ready for the
Judgment day, and negro in South
Carolina was buried feet up because he
believed the fat earth would be turned
upside down at the first blast of
Gabriels trumpet and he wanted to be
ready right side up.
+ People innumerable have had valu-
ables or mementoes buried with them
at their request, and a short time ago
IN Fro nrf, q duinr wnnnan had her net