The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-05-05
ODD FINAL REQUESTS.
Curious Wishes Made by Persons
Whom Dying.
Dequcsts Hnvc Boon nIado to Provide
Drinks. Shnvcs, Rides and sIusic for
Mourncrs-Ecccntric to
tho Last.

The world is full of cranlIs, as every.
body knows, but the great ma iority OF
them continc their ecccntricitics 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 n fertility
of ideas that would have been of great
value to them in the advertising line
during their lives.
The latest exponent of post morton
cranllism was n queer old farmer of
Kent, Saratoga county, this state, who
recently departed this life, says the
New York Advertiser. lie 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 accompo nimcnt of
jingling bells and buried with his boots
on.
Brooklyn saloonilecpcr, who was
as jolly in life rs he was fat. left direc-
tions with his widow Us he gasped
"Good-by" 60 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
In hnf
house.
Another saloonlzccpcr, Staten
Islander, whose place was 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 dying injunction On his friends to
see that his ashes were scattered about
on the salt water he loved so we'll.
from the head of the statue of Liberty.
Lis wishes were religiously carried out
and the funeral party returned to his
old saloon and drank 'shis health" as
provided in his will.
Still another saloonlscepcr. whose
place was well over on the east side of
man also, had his ashes committed to
the deep. He was member of n little
fishing club that went down in n tug to,
Romer Shoals every Sunday during the
season. lie found when ON his death
bed that he had but fifty dollars be-
You'd his cremation fees and he decided
to give the boys" n 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 deoth and
asked that his ashes be taken along
and dumped overheard at the shoals
while schooner OF berg was drunk to
his memory. 1t was done as he ordered.
a female keeper Of u traInps' 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 a shave. n
breakfast and y 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 tThe Girl l Left Be
hind Me" all the way home. The
churches attempted to stop the carry
ing out OF her remarkable iniunctions.
but were unsuccessful, and the old
woman Yves scrcnadcd a6 per desire.
The most horrible of all these grew
some provisions was that made by a
Virginia colonel, who died about TWEEN
ty-fivc years ago, in Amelia county. He
demanded, under penalty of cutting off
froEl all his possessions, that his widow
have him put in an open coffin in a
clunp 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 whisllers. Luckily the colonel
shufllcd off his mortal coil in the middle
of 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 eases of
religious enthusiasts who have de-
handed to be buried in standing 20
sition, so as TO be all ready for the
Judgment day, and negro in South
Carolina was buried feet up because he
believed the fiat earth would be turned
upside down at the first blast of
Gabricls trumpet and he wanted TO be
ready right side up.
People innumcrablc have had valu-
aoics or memcntocs buried With them
at their request, and short time ago
in France dying woman had her pet
cat killed SO that it might be buried in
her arms.
KleptOmanin.
10 believe French writer, there are
no fewer than four thousand women