The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-10-26
ODDITIES In WILLS.
SOME PECULIAR REQUESTS AND Curl
GUS CONDITIONS.

GUS CONDITIONS.
4 Patriotic Americans Desire 10 he
Heard After Death - Wills Which
Proved That In the Cases of Their
Makers Marriage Nns u Failure.
Tho admiration of our American oous.
ms fer their country is prominent
characteristic of their daily life, and
some years ago Mr.. Sanborn desired
that i'll death rs i'll life his body should
proclaim the glory of the republic, He
left fl, 600 to the late Professor Agassiz,
in return for which ho was, by an ex-
tremely scientific process set forth in
tho will to tan his (Snnborn's) skin
into leather and from it have drum
made. Two of tho most suitable bones
of his body were To he made into drum
sticks, and with these Mr.. Warren
Simpson-to whom Sanborn left tho re
mainder of his property-was ION every
nth of June to repair to the foot of
Bunker hill and at sunrise beat on tho
drum, tho parchment of which had been
made out of tho tostator's skin, tho
spirit stirring strains of Yankee Doc
do. >"
somewhat similar bequest was
made by IL German in 1887. lie died i'll
Pittsburg and by his will directed that
his body should he cremated and the
ashes forwarded to tho German consul
at New York, who was to deliver them
To the captain of tho steamship Elbe
When in midocean, tho captain was to
request passenger to dress himself i'll
nautical costume. and, ascending with
tho funeral urn to tho topmast, to scat
ter tho ashes To tho four winds of henv-
en-. These strange directions wero faith
fully carried out.
Quito as peculiar were the directions
for tho funeral of Mr. John Undor-
wood. EIo willed that no was to be
buried i'll green coffin with II copy of
Horace under his hoad and of Milton
under his feet, II Greek testament in
his right hand and IL small Horace in
his left. Six friends, who were not to
wear mourning, were to follow him to
tho grave and there to sing verso of
tho twentieth odo of tho second book of
Horace. After this thoy wero to "tako
a cheerful glass and think no moro of
John Underwood. "
Wills may also be admitted as owl
denee of tho mixed blessings of tho
matrimonial state. \ nebleman wrote,
Il give and bequeath To the worst of
women, whom l unfortunately married,
40 brass halfpence, which will buy her
u pullet for supper.
A Glasgow doctor, dying Some ten
years ago, loft the whole of his estate to
his two sisters, and then camo this OK.
traordinary clause: "To my wife, as "a
recomponse for deserting me and leav-
ing mo in peace, l expect tho said sister
Elizabeth To mako her II gift Of 10 shil-
lings sterling, to buy her IA pocket hand
berehief to weep In after my deeease, "
A Mr. Sydney Dickinson bequeathed
to his vito tho stun of $50, 600, "on
condition that sho undertakes to puss
two hours day ut my grnvesido, for
tho ten years following my doeease, in
company with hor sister, whom | have
reason to know she loathes worse than
sho does me.
Another husband stated that he would
have left his widow El0, 600 if she had
allowed him To read his newspaper in
peace, but MS sho always commenced
playing and singing when he started to
read no left her only 81. 900. Such in
stances could be multiplied indefinitely
but ono other is worthy of note.
A husband left his wife Hl2. 900, to be
Increased to 924. 600 provided that nho
wore widows cap after his death She
accepted tho larger amount, wore the
cap for six months and then put il Off
A lawsuit followed, but tho judge held
that tho tostator should have inserted
tho word always" and gavo Judgment
in favor Of tho widow, who tho day aft
or re-entered tho state Of matrimony
Thus tho husbands little plan for pre-
vomiting his widow marrying again fail
ed
But tho most curious will which tho
writer has ever como across is that Of
M Xalesky, Polish landlord, who died
In 1889, leaving property valued ut
100, 900 rubles. His will was inoosed in
an envelope bearing tho Words "To DO
Opened After My Death" Inside this
was another envelope, "fo 30 Opened
Six Weeks After My Death" When this
time had passed. tho second envelope
was opened and n third uncovered, "To
Bo Opened Ono Year After My Death. !"
At tho end Of tho year II fourth on
velope was discovered, to DO opened two
years after tho testator death, and so
the game went ON until 1891, when the
actual will was discovered and read.
1t was quito AZ eccentric iii it's disposi
tions as tho directions attached to its
opening. The teatator bequeathed half
his fortune to such OF his heirs as had
tho largest number Of children. Tho
rest of tho property was to DO placed in
a bank and hundred years after his
death to DO divided, with tho accumu-
lated interest. among tho will makers
descendants Thus by 1888. at 8 per
cent compound interest, tho 90, 900 ru-
bles will have swelled into 5000, 900
rubles. But what will this be among 80
many ceudants2-IIougehOld Words.