New-York tribune., 1896-10-04
EXTRAORDINARY WILLS.
THE QUEER THINGS MEN THINK oI
ONE MAN WHO WANTED TO BIZ THROWN INTO
TIL: SEA-INJUsTIcE TO WIVES
WAITING WILLS.


THE sEA-INJrsTIcE TO WIVES
WAITING WILLS.
Some one has said that great living makes great
dying. But 1t is not only in dying that men reveal
their true character they reveal II perhaps even more
strongly in making their wills II Is true that there
Is nothing especially noteworthy about an average
WILL but that is because there is nothing especially
noteworthy about the average man: and even In
such wills therefore, there il an unconscious reye-
.ation OF character.
But an immense number OF wills Indicate much
moro than this. In them may be read. sometimes In
black and white. and sometimes between the lines.
rarely interesting life stories. sometimes tragca,
sometimes oomica and sometimes suggestive OF
nothing more than vanity. eccentrclty or caprice
Wills belonging TO the latter Class are ny far the
picturesque Story writer's have made an ab'ind
ant use OF such wills Everybody has read or the
| old lady and the old gentleman who keep string OF
relatives dancing attendance on them for years ana
who In their wills devise all their property to the
Home for the INDECENT and Disabled Black Cats. Or
the Old curmudgeon whose relatives pamper him Tor
years. and who In his will declares that he has MOTH
Ing to leave them but his blessing: or the old lady
who is treated with contumey by ali her relatives
but the angel heroine because she declares herself
10 he a pauper and who In her will leaves a large
boarded fortune to the aforesaid angel heroine Or
the queer old party who leaves 10 his heir nothing
but the family Bible, which is finally discovered TO
contain number OF marked passages that when put
together tell where an immense hidden fortune may
no found All these and OF other variations OF
the story may be found in the current novels OF the
day ,ostifying TO the prominent place Of the VIII
In literature.
N,w.papers are constantly chroniclns s.ories OF
wills Just as surprising and eccentric iearS
ago there died a wealthy English gentleman VINO
directed that the five drawers In his desk pe
opened or the Ave consecutive anniversaries OF h's
death That was all: not word about the dspo-
sion Of his large fortune. when four o'a"e'S
were opened there was found in them nothing but
a sealed letter containing this message: have
faith and hope and you will attain unto the frui-
ton of all your desires" When on the nith shh'-
vcrsary the last drawer was opened properly
executed will was found leaving the property 70
these who had expected It,
A London theatrical man named W. ~ ros'e'
dir,cted that no woman should be present al MS
funeral and gave orders that n his wife survived
him he should be cremated. In France not ions
ago died an eccentric Frcnchman whose VIII ae.
csred the French TO be "a nation OF 1astards ana
fools" For that reason he devised MS "ho'e 'o'-
tune 20 the poor OF London. ana direc'ed 'ha' Ms
body be thrown into the sea mile from the r'nssh
coast An attempt was made to have him adjudged
insane when he made this VIII. put ia'eo'
Another Frenchman directed that ne" COOKING
,sc,re should he pasted on his tomb every day: and
still another Frenchman, a lawyer. left *o'V" 10
local lunatic ASYLUM declaring that II was simply
an act Of restitution TO the clients VINO "''' '"'
sane enough to employ his services
Cremation clauses are becoming qu'te common
in English and Continental wills: but many OF them
or. ,gnorad bv the relatives. Many testators now
mako some provision in their wills 10 ensure the"
NOT being buried avc. For instance fhe Iate Jonh
RIount Price. Of Islington. directed tnat TOUT ua!s
fter his death two skilful surgeons should be PAID
.,i Zach TO perform such operations on MS pony
as would kill him in case he were YET a'Ve' INC
yiscoup, dc Carros Lima directed fhat MS oody
should be watched by his heirs until decomposI'on
set iu A similar provision was mace q! an .t's"
gentleman who died last year \ieh'a nnio'
| oire seemed TO have horror OF darkness lo' 10
provided not only that the vault in when MS oocy
was to lie should he lighted by electricity ou 'H
,ho corsr .l.o should he similarly illurnined Loru
Ne.vbor,ugh made provision for two separate IN
terments r.
rher. ara some remarkable waiting Wits On
| record Not long ago died AN eccentric "ernan ~
who directed that his estate amounting 10 sioV'
be turned into money and put out at compound IN
,.ros, FOR on wears At the end Of that period the
whole sum IS to he safely invested ana the interest,"
apped 10 the relief OF suffering and poverty Sount
Uardegg who recently died left ST""p 10 tne CnI'
vorsi,v Of Vienna on condition that II should be pat
ou, at compound interest for 100 years. AZ mo enc
of which perod he cstimat ted that his beauest wou'a
have increased TO $lScc0,Go Instances are nnume'
able where icgatees are compelled 10 wal, 'o"e
term Of years for the property devised 10 mem
sin mia
testator
No, many wears ago a queer old native OF Fin
land devised all his property the Devil and the
State at once took possession OF IT, without a'te"p'
ing TO establish iIs Identity with the psrsonase
on the part OF engaged men. TO draw up wills N
favor Of the ladies TO whom they are engsged ss S
after marriage they NOT only take duty by the to,s-
lock so to speak. but reap present reward In the
Increased ardor Of the adored one; 49,.
Merely to catalogue the eccentric Wills is that have
Some of these wills betray that grotesaue sense
humor that in 80 many other things characterlses
crankness on the part OF the testators. which 70
say the least. is not pleasant TO contsmplat" , 10
ern North Carolina. there lived few years ago
who was mos, fsrocous 10 inds m when S,,s,ss ss
that he should be buried on the summit OF one Gt
the oftes peaks Of the Blue Rdse IiS ana shs1 ms
tanity. Instead OF CARRYING out his wishes. how
y nd ns o hs spot where desired be
placed 4 large white cross. There are probably few
ter one finds difficult think harshly of the
recently deceased I'm this State who In his will
left his property the who lives with me.
meaning by that his true and lawful wife. Not long
ago a Boston died whose will left his wife pen
the given for this proyiso being that he want
ed somebody else to find out how hard It was to live
with her-truly z monstrous revelation OF post.
mortem spite. and one that any decent court ought
But such Wills are rare: It is much more common
TO find testamentary provisions against wives mar
rying again II report speaks truly. such prohib-
tons do not always strike the grief stricken widow
wise or proper.
Wills cutting off some prodigal sen with a shi-
ling too familiar In English life to excite any
special remark. and In that country. where mans
last will and testament Is regarded very
take the shilling and say nothing. But in this
country there IL strong. though. perhaps. latent
| will that manifesly absurd or unjust. This
| largely explains why there are so many attempts
i'm the United States TO set aside wills and why 20
many OF these attempts are successful. The fact
t,at 10 naval ahsoln nfalv fain hat
provisions OF his will will be carried has stg
gested 10 many the propriety Of disposnE Of their