The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-11-13
oDDIq'IES ~ WILLS.
.o,.r PECULIAR REQUESTS AND cuRl-
GUS CONDITIONS.

n..rsetic Americans Deeire to he
-.-a After Death - Wills which
-..xea That In the Cases of Their
...ners Marriage Was n FaiIure.
rho admiration o: our American cous-
u ~ their cou.'.fs is q prominent
Ssyacteristic of tLeir daily life, and
800 years ago q Mr.. Sanborn desired
~ IN death as in life his body should
,-relai,n the glcry of the republic. He
IN eI 900 to the late Professor Agassiz,
y rsturn for which hs was, by an ex-
s..,aalv scientific process set forth i'm
- viii to tan his (Sanborn's) skin
- leather and from it have drum
rsda Two Of tho most suitable bones
y m body were to be made into drum
a;cks. and with these MIR. Warren
c;mpson-to whom Sanborn left the re-
r.ainder of his property-was ION every
,gth II June to repair to the foot Of
punher hill and at sunrise beat on the
svum. the parchment Of which had been
ss.dn ont of the testator's akin, the
aIrit stirring strains Of Yankee Doc
ala'p u.
somewhat similar bequest was
made by German in 1887. He died in
pstsburg and by his will directed that
n body should be cremated and the
.shaa forwarded to the German consul
4 New York, who was to deliver them
4 the captain of the steamship Eibe.
when in midocean, the captain was to
reouest passenger to dress himself in
uautical costume, and, ascending with
IA funeral urn to the topmast, to scat
Ia the ashes to the four winds of heav-
a. These strange directions were faith
fully carried out. s6&
Quite as peculiar were the directions
far the funeral of Mr.. John Under
wood. He willed that he was to be
huried in green coffin with a copy of
Horace under his head and of Milton
nnder his feet, Greek testament in
+ his right hand and a small Horace in
his left. Six friends, who were not to
wear mourning, were to follow him to
the gave and there to sing verse of
the twentieth ode of the second book of
Horace. After this they were to take
cheerful glass and think no more of
John Underwood.
Wills may also be admitted as evil
dence of the mixed blessings of the
/ matrimonial state. A nobleman wrote,
"kgige and bequeath to the worst of
women, whom unfortunately married,
Is brass halfpence, which will buy her
pullet for supper"
A Glasgow doctor, dying some ten
wears ago, left the whole of his estate to
bis two sisters, and then came this ex-
traordinary clause: ITO my wife, as a
reoompense for deserting me and leav-
ing me in peace, 1 expect the said sister
Elizabeth to make her gift of 10 shil-
lings sterling, to buy her pocket hand
kerchief to weep in after my decease. y
A Mr.. Sydney Dickinson bequeathed
to his wife the sum of ego, 900, ION
condition that she undertakes to pass
two hours o day at my graveside, for
the ten years following my decease. in
company with her sister, whom have
reason to know she loathes worse than
she does me.
Another husband stated that he would
have left his widow e1O, 900 if she had
allowed him to read his newspaper in
peace. but as she always commenced
playing and singing when he started tc
read he left her only 81. 600. Such in.
atances could be multiplied indefinitely,
but one other is worthy of note.
A husband left his wife &12. 600, to be
increased to 924. 900 provided that she
wore widows cap after his death. She
accepted the larger amount, wore the
cap for six months, and then put it off.
A lawsuit followed, but the judge helG
that the testator should have inserted
the word always" and gave judgment
IN favor of the widow, who the day aft
or re-entered tho state of matrimony
Thus the husbands little plan for pre-
venting his widow marrying again fail
ed.
But the most curious will which tht
writer has ever come across is that o.
ID lalesky, Polish landlord, who dice
" 1883, leaving property valued a
10000 rubles His will was inclosed il
IN envelope bearing the words, ITO b
opened After My Death" Inside thil
was another envelope, "To Be Opened
olx Weeks After My Death" When thii
ume had passed, the second envelope
was opened and third uncovered, "T(
20 Opened One Year After Ny Death. >
AZ the end Of the year fourth en-
Veiope was discovered, to be opened twC
Years after the testator's death, and 81
tne game went on until 1894, when tht
actual will was discovered and read
!. was quite as eccentric in its disposi
uons as the directions attached tn iti
vpenlng. The testator bequeathed hall
nis fortune to such of his heirs as hat
'Oe largest number of children. Tht
test OF the property was to be placed il
: Oank and a hundred years after MI
seath to be divided, with the accumu
a'ed interest. among the will maker
descendants. Thus by 1889, at 5 PEI
oens compound interest, the so, 600 ru
Oles Will have swelled into 5000, oO(
luoies. But what will this be among 81
many Household. Words