Smyrna times., 1898-11-02
ODDITIES IN WILLS.
SOME PECULIAR REQUESTS AND CURI-
GUS CONDITIONS.

4 Patriotic Americans Desire to BE
Heard After Death - Wills Which
Proved That In the Cases of Their
Makers Marriage Was "A Failure.
The admiration of our American oous-
ins for their country is a prominent
characteristic of their daily life, and
some years ago Mr.. Sanborn desired
that in death as in life his body should
proclaim the glory of the republic. He
left e1, 900 to the late Professor Agassiz,
in return for which he was, by an ex-
tremely scientific process set forth in
the will to tan his (Sanborn's) skin
into leather and from it have drum
made. Two Of the most suitable bones
Of his body were to be made into drum
sticks and with these a Mr.. Warren
Simpson-tO whom Sanborn left the re-
mainder of his property-was "on every
18th of June to repair to the foot of
Bunker hill and at sunrise beat on the
drum, the parchment of which had been
made out of the testator's skin, the
spirit stirring strains of Yankee Doc
die. q"
A somewhat similar bequest was
made by German in 1887. He died in
Pittsburg and by his will directed that
his body should be cremated and the
ashes forwarded to the German consul
at New York, who was to deliver them
to the captain of the steamship Elbe.
When in midocean, the captain was to
request a passenger to dress himself in
nautical costume, and, ascending with
the funeral urn to the topmast, to scat
ter the ashes to the four winds of heav-
en-. These strange directions were faith
fully carried out.
Quite as peculiar were the directions
for the funeral of Mr.. John Under
wood. He willed that he was to be
buried in green coffin with copy Of
Horace under his head and of Milton
under 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 grave 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
II give and bequeath to the worst of
women, whom unfortunately married,
45 brass halfpence, which will buy her
pullet for supper" "
A Glasgow doctor, dying some ten
years ago, left the whole of his estate to
his two sisters, and then came this eX-
traordinary clause: ''To my wife, as q
ing me in peace, 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. u
A Mr.. Sydney Dickinson bequeathed
to his wife the sum of ego, 600, "or
condition that she undertakes to pass
two hours a day at my graveside, fol
the ten years following my decease, il
company with her sister, whom 1 have
reason to know she loathes worse thai
she does me. ;"
Another husband stated that he would
have left his widow 500 if she haC
allowed him to read his newspaper il
peace, but as she always commenced
playing and singing when he started t.
read he left her only $1,000. Such in
stances could be multiplied indefinitely
but one other is worthy of note.
A husband left his wife f12, 900, to b
increased to 924.OOO provided that sh
wore widows cap after his death. Sh
accepted the larger amount, wore tn
cap for six months, and then put it of
A lawsuit followed, but the judge hel
that the testator should have inserte
the word always" and gave judgmer
in favor of the widow, who the day aft
er re-entered the state of matrimony
Thus the husbands little plan for pre-
venting his widow marrying again fai
ed.
But the most curious will which th
writer has ever come across is that {
M. Zalesky, Polish landlord, who die
in 1889, leaving property valued {
100, 900 rubles. His will was inclosed
an envelope bearing the words, "To E
Opened After My Death" Inside tn
! was another envelope, 'To Be Opene
Six Weeks After My Death" When tn
time had passed, the second envelol
: was opened and third uncovered, "1
S Be Opened One Year After My Death.
u At the end of tho year fourth el
S velope was discovered, to be opened tv
t years after the testator's death, and
8 the game went on until 1894, when Il
: actual will was discovered and rea
1t was quite as eccentric i'll its dispos
. tions as the directions attached to
opening. The testator bequeathed ha
D. his fortune to such of his heirs as hi
the largest number of children. II
rest of the property was to be placed
bank and hundred years after b
death to be divided, with the aocum
lated interest, among the will maker
descendants. Thus by 1889, at 8 P
cent compound interest the $1,000 T
p bles will have swelled into 6,000, o
rubles. But what will this be among
many daecandantS2-H WOrf