The evening times., 1895-11-21
WILL OF GEO. WASHINGTON
1t Is Deposited With the Clerk Of
Fairfax County.
Not Protected IN Apy way and f,ouid
Re Easily Stolen By Relic
Hunters,

About twenty miles from Washington. at
Fairfax Court House. Va, in the custody
OF the present clerk OF the county. Is the
Will OF George Washington. penned In his
own firm and lcgible hand writing. and just
as well preserved today as on the day it
was drawn up.
Under law of the State. the win belongs
to the descendants Of Washington. and the
clerk Of Fairfax county is the only person
who can retain 1t in custody. OF all the
writings and correspondent ee OF Washington,
none is more interesting and unique than
his will. and none is guarded more closely
or Is more liable to injury or theft than this
document. -.-
The state Department made an effort TO
secure 1t. but failed. probably because OF Lhe
early laws OF Virginia. which direct that
1t must remain at Fairfax. Wasmngton's
. other writings have been gathered ana COM
piled, and are now stored away in the ar
ciiIVes' OF tue department. No UNUSUAL ca re
has ever been taken to preserve the will,
and twice Ii has come near being destroyed.
once by the old courthouse catching fire,
anu again when some relic-hunter came
within an ace Of stealing it
Efforts were made at the time OF the
Philadelphia Centennial and previous to the
Worlds Fair to secure the paper for exhibit
tiOU. Dul Tie clerk ueIuueQ 10 6QOW IL 10 20
out OF his possession.
FaIrfaX Court House Is O small village OF
$50 inhabita nts, and since the days when
Mount Vernon ncameinto w ashing ton shands
1t has remained the county seat Of Fairfax
County. The old court house and the clerks
office are upward OF 100 years old, and have
all the characteristics of buildings OF that
period. An ordinary iron safe holds the will,
and any interested person can5ee 1t who ap-
plies to the obliging clerk. A few years aSoa
woodenbox twelvein ches square, of walnut,
with the top fitted with a glass pane, was.
made and in this the will was deposited. No
one has ever opened 1t since then. and no one
will be ALLOW to by the present clerk.
The will, years ago, was torn practically
in two, but every piece is retained and
pasted carefully together. washington's
hand is as bold In his. will as in other Of
his early papers, and the ink Is as black
as though it were used month ago. '7'''ft
The document consists Of about one
dozen pages the size of legal cap of the
present day, exclusive OF appeDdices. In
which Washington gives detailed state
nent OF every article he possesseds down
to calves and sheep.
His entire personal estate at the time his
will was made is put OWN at aboout $751;
600, which probably made him the rich.
est man in the State at that time. His be-
longings consisted of bonds, stocks, to-
bacco, large numbers OF cattle, sheep and
horses, together with his vast estate, prae-
ticaily all Of which he willed to Mrs. WASH
iDgton.
The present clerk of the county says that
few people ask to see the will, as they be-
lieve it is In WashiD gt0n city. Not only
the will, but other rare papers Of WASH
ingtOn, deeds. tax receipts, and State
papers. are also held by the clerk. o.
One great folio alone contains entries
regarding WashingtOn's transactions with
the county officers, many of which show "
that he had given so many hogsheads Of
tobacco tD payment Of certain taxes.