New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-19
A WHiLER'S WILL.
THE CURIOUS LEGAL DOCUMENT DEVISED
BY CAPTAIN GARDNER. OF NANTUCKET.


Nantucket. Mass, June lS-Dulness now prevails
this beautiful isle Of the sea" The Goldfish
have steered to summer quarters. and the bluehsn
have Struck on" Next the strangers" viii come.
They the that the natives" want TO APP
ptar. Hotel and boarding house keepers, livery
stable men. farmers and tradcsmen are looking
forward for their harvest. But il is all look at
present. The reality will come later. Now the
men meet at the Sconset Club House at night.
talk OF the Spanish gunboats that did not come.
but. all the same. frightened those who have been
accustomed 10 pass the summer at the seashore
They talk of the island and its glorles departed,
for hundred years ago Philadelphia and Boston
the chief seaports OF America and Nantucket
the third. Then the ambition OF every boy
to begin his career as sailor and soon TO
put iron into his first sperm whale. work his
way a captaincy anl after three or four voyages
around the Horn to return home to his family
4 notable old whaling master was Captain MI
ca jan Colesworthy. died in this place thirty
odd years ago. At his death there was In his
garnet little old hair trunk, on the top OF when
were brass nails driven to represent the letters
O. g.. the initials OF Captain Obed Gardner. who
married Captain Colesworthy's sister In 1t were
odds and ends of ase-stained papers one of which
was the VIII OF Captain Gardner. executed In ISL
1t in the WORDS following:
Siasconsct, May the Goth. 1871.
l. Obed Gardner. master mariner, no" HNh AZ
ScOnset write down mis- viii
Item. j have cruised with my wife. Hubby Jane
M isrl' J" s'eaIeI i d" " ",nni her and
my oldest boy johann to be captain and mate IN
,y ne" one ~ 81 P tb Ie ;s the Iav as vii. down
ON his PAPER / put mother in command. I know
sheel be Captain any way, FOR SIX months after
we started on our lie cruise l found out that
was mate and she was mas,er. ! don't mean mat
she ever nutinled hui ! no that whenever We didn't
agree she always manoovered TO win"ard May DE
1t IS all right FOR she could sail closer 70 wind tam
j could and could manage the crew OF yOuns ones
She always wanted me 10 do The swearn whrn
there was any trouble. l no that when she ana
well ! could do II myself .,..,
Of the old Nancy koch ana wanted TO s& wh r.a
OF her 50 ne got me TO lax pee 81 nTt e., vi
par."so; in@ren h@I illi, =, mean SHI nr Want
johann 10 nave ma pee 80 'H ~ ,' bei Tav,
he Ho.s ~ "r w .yor ia tn ob"ervations
ga'Ss ''e weather anu ''''''''e
d1.Hs, ru.,., ,,o,b.r ~ have the house on Union
Street until She goes aiot nsn WANT amt mi, ID
9ies vnnt thc Jas " mo parent 20 go 20 The
,,ror,s vn,,rc ones but don't want my daughter
- b.,1e AMI hirg -, lon. a. her husband il
ii\,in M is a. Hbbsr but she ts ben ci.-.u win
him FOR years haven't got anything paruckler
a '.'' fim bnt he doesn't 10 how to navigate tho
board ship II would be Just ~ mn n - ~ ne
hold Win an auSer anu bo!e Il t'tr ,r sa a'
Eut Trlirdy likes MIN That's just Ike n woman.
II snou.d' eirc The lay out ana ont to her
afraid her husband would manoover to set IL.
tcrcst and give wnat comes out OF 1t to her unui
l,r husband ships Tor corpse ic4lW decks lN til'
,,ra,o ytrd Then sf, can take the lay ard do
,,,rot si. wants 20 with d.
Ton, don't want my son Ezry 10 have anything
IRON, what leave All The children except him
I'm "' ~, Looked .uf for mother aul
w. Ntit-.t H.. .f,.~ ,lfh.r of us except the
~ - f.r MO- with A, nd and hlt M over
the starboard eye II" nov "'"t vas as, MN iS,ry
come cone ana ~ M m ,ns .he,, and steer FOR the
continent When be got 20 Bedford ne snipprd
a. boat sieefef On IN" Ola "'.o.. w., 49, ~.
ara. uv'-1 H.'', -, -,,,,in h,,v,cen CHrf0u
al Wbampoa ! hayut got any use Of him and
guess hc hasn't got any for mo. The p.AcK eyr
he gave me- j. oni.A"'o an" u''' ZAP my '''''' ''
"t.h n''' v,nf mother and Lothian T. settle up
things a. soon as they can break oIlk ana MAKE a
far divdr i,iW.'n ln' ., ,,,.r .ns U.tndv
i". ,rp,t i,ifn,,,.s husband viii make any fuss
about the way have taken care o' her un.eHs -na
runs head on to the shoals ~ lawyer on =,
Then look ont for squalls. ! hope shoel stand on u
She secs "A lawyer comm th0rt hey bows
refn want mother 20 have haif x what comes
IRON, what Is LEFT 81 my property besides IN"
hot,se I'm Union street she deserves IT, Every
i'm. | vas around the Horn she ga her duty 70
tho young ones and want her 10 have enough 10
iiv. on until she goes aiOff. Then ] wani N"F ~
-. co ~ he children IN equal pieces except that
PclIndy shall only have what comes from u uniu