The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-14
Some Odd Last Wills.

Chicago Record: Although an old ,
wheelbarrow is not the most elegant or
convenient vehicle in which to take
ones rides abroad, it does not logically
follow that because a man or woman
prefers that mode of locomotion he or
she is mentally incapacitated. Yet
this very conclusion was asked of a
Paris court the other day in the case Of
an old spinsser, Mademoiselle BOrniche,
the daughter of an eccentric father.
This father had curious ideas and
spent considerable sums of money
10 further his notions. He had no OBJ
lection to the academic, a. tolerance his
daughter does not seem to have shared,
as she was in the habit of decorating
her statues with vine leaves, and whenl
she could not get these she wOuidN
drape them with cloth.
MademoiseIle Borniche left all her
fortune for the founding Of a mater
nifty hospital, and her heirs are con-
testing the will, trying TO make out
that the old lady was not quite sane
The French law is in favor of property
going to the heirs of a person, 50 the
will is likely TO be upset in favor or
the contestants.
However, records go to show that the
most eccentric wills have been made
by persons perfectly sane in every re-
latiOn in life. Few persons would
question the lucidity of Ben JOnsOn,
for instance; yet he commanded ms
executors TO bury him upright so than
he might be in readiness at the day
of judgment. Richard the Dauntiess.
Duke of Normandy, willed that he
should be buried under the porch Of
the church at Fecamp, 'in order 10 be
trodden upon by all those who entered
the sacred building" This wish was
complied with, but a few years later
an abbot had the body removed to
the front of the altar. Richards son,
not to be outdOne in humility. re-
quested TO be buried in the cemetery,
but under the gutter-pipe of the
church.
Ben Jonson's reasons for wishing to
be buried upright were slightly differ
ent from those Of Sieur de Chatelet,
who made similar provisions, saying:
l desire to be buried upright in one Of
the pillars of the church so that the
scum may not march on my stomach"
The arrangements for their long
rest" of two famous Dutch painters
breathe neither spirit of humility nor
that of pride, but simply the spirit of
conviviality and love of life that dis
tinguished their fellow worthless Of the
brush. Shortly before his death at
Amsterdam in the beginning Of the
eighteenth century, the celebrated sea-
scape painter Bakhuysen purchased
several pipes of the best wine pro-
durable, had it bottled and sealed and
stocked it; after which he placed in a
purse IS gold pieces. When his will
was opened the money was found 20
be left to his friends, on the condition
that they should give dinner on his
grave and drink the wine until theH1
was not drop left of it.
Martin Heemskerk. the second Dutch
painter, left his fortune to be divided
into so many parts. each part TO dover
annually a maiden of his native vii
lage on the condition that the wedding
festivities should take place on his
grave. The testators, it is well known.
were perfectly sane in body and mind
when they made their wills, which 1t
will scarcely be gainsaid were eccen-
trio; why should Mademoiselle Bor-
niche not have made a sane will in
her periods of eccentricity?