The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-12-27
ODDITIES IN WILLS.
SOME PECULIAR REQUESTS AND CURl.
Gus CONDITIONS

Gus CONDITIONS
Il Patriotic Americans Desire to Be
Heard After Death Wills Which
Proved That In the Cases of Their
Makers Marriage Was Il Failure.
The admiration Of cur American cnus-
ins for their country is a prominent
characteristic of their daily life, and
some years ago Mr.. Sanborn desired
that ia death as in life his body should
proclaiHl the glcry of the republic He
left 81, 900 to the late Professor Agassiz,
in return for which be 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 4 Mr.. Warren
Simpson-to whom Sanborn left the re-
mainder Of his property-was on every
18th of June to repair g, the foot Of
Bunker hill and at sunrise beat on the
drum, the parchment Of which had been
made out of the tcstatcr's skin, the
spirit stirring strains OF Yankee Doc
die. 3"
A somewhat similar bequest was
made by German in 1887. He died il
Pittsburg ard 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 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 q green coffin with copy Of
Horace under his head and Of Milton
under his feet, a Greek testament in
his right hand and small Horace in
bis 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
a cheerful glass and think no more Of
John Underwood. "
Wills may also be admitted as evi-
dence of the mixed blessings of the
matrimonial state. A nobleman wrote,
II give and bequeath to the worst OF
women, whom unfortunately married,
As brass halfpence, which will buy her
pullet for supper y
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 a
recompense for deserting me and leav-
ing me in peace, I expect the said sister
Elizabeth to make her a gift of 10 shii-
lings sterling, to buy her pocket hand
kerchief to weep in after my decease. ="
4 Mr.. Sydney Dickinson bequeathed
10 his wife the sum of eco, 600, Ion
condition that she undertakes to pass
two hours a day at my graveslde, 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 e10, 900 if she had
allowed him to read his newspaper in
peace, but as she always commenced
playing and singing when he started to
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 el2, 900, to be
increased to s24,0 900 provided that she
were a widows cap after his death. She
accepted the larger amount, wore the
cap for six months, and then put 1t off.
A lawsuit followed, but the judge held
that the testator should have inserted
the word "always' and gave judgment
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 fail
ed.
But the most curious will which the
writer has ever come across is that OF
NJ. Zalesky, Polish landlord, who died
in 1889, leaving property valued at
100, 900 rubles. His will was inclosed in
an envelope bearing the words, "To Be
Opened After My Death. F" Inside this
was another envelope, "To Be Opened
Six Weeks After My Death" F" When this
time bad passed, the second envelope
was opened and third uncovered, "To
Be Opened One Year After My Death. :"
At the end of the year fourth en-
velope was discovered, to be opened two
years after the testator's death, and so
the game went on until 1894, when the
actual will was discovered and read.
1t was quite as eccentric III its disposl-
tiors as the directions attached to its
opening. The testator bequeathed half
his fortune to such of his heirs as had
the largest number of children. The
rest of the property was to be placed IN
bank and hundred years after his
death to be divided, with the accumu-
lated interest, among the will maker 8
descendants. Thus by 1889, at per
cent compound interest, the so, 600 ru-
bles will have swelled into 5000, 600
rubles. But what will this be among so
x,,,,-- 5acoop1onts2- Hon spho11 Words