Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-05

being wealthy men, and knowing how their
uncle's heart was set on the idea of de-
stroying, they, rather than let his beloved
works survive him, fulfilled the letter Of
his will and the whole of the three great
works were reduced to scrap iron.
For a sheer waste of good things the
famous case of DR.. Tobias Borthwick's for
tune was a notable one. When alive DR..
Borthwick was known as the Wealthy
Hermit He had over 100000, but he
converted all of 1t but 100000 into ancient
jewelry, tapestries, beaten goldware and
modern gems-a collection said to be only
equaled by Lord Anglesey's.
All this treasure he directed to be sunk
off the coast of Anglesey, asserting that
as there was hardly a gem or valuable in
the collection that had not been the object
of some crime or other, or might in future
be so, it would be better for mankind at
large if the whole lot were done away with
The will would have been upset for GER
tainty, but with great acuteness DIR. Borth-
wick directed that, if his son and heir car
ried out the orders he was to get the $780,
000 that remained. If not, the whole was
to be divided among three charitable insti-
tutionS
Sunk the Guns.
Naturally. the heir would have let the
charities take the collection rather than
sink it. but as the estate affected several
parties it was held that the will could not
be set aside in favor of the son, even
though the others got nothing out of it.
The result was that both the son and the
charities went to law and the court, much
against its inclination had to decide for
the will. So the sinking of the greater part
Of the fortune actually carried out
privately as possible, in the presence of the
executors. and what was left of the S6O,OU0,
after paying law expenses, went to the son
and heir.
Genius is supposed to be very near mad
ness. but it was never nearer to it than in
the fight over the will ordering the destruc-
ton of the late Mr.. Stollwercks laboratory
and all it's contents on his death. Most Of
the work of the inventors short lifetime
was contained in it. including an object
that has since become world-famed and
worth hundreds of thousands-the Stoll-
Werck gas motor.
OF all the money that Stollwerck made
he had barely $4,000 at his death. The
rest was sunk in experiments and costly
apparatus and given away in charities.
There was the groundwork of half a dozen
great businesses in his big Sheffield expert
menting house. and he held over thirty
patents to his name. in spite of his ste
cesses he was disappointed man, for the
works that he most cherished did not pan
out.
His will directed that all the work re-
naming in his laboratory should be de-
stroyed, together with his endless and cost
ly apparatus. and he wiped out a large
part of his work before death took him.
anu leit sloNUo 10 MS three sons. The Will
was upset without much difficulty and the
sons. inheriting their fathers brains as
we'll as his goods, launched the various
golden inventions that bear his name.
A Queer Will.
The oueerest will of this kind ever drawn
up, and that which met with the strangest
ending, was that of Mr.. Symons Lacey, one
Of England's largest coal operators, whose
pits supplied coal to most of the foreign
navies from the famous Ednyfed fields.
1t was probably the endless strife be-
tween himself and his workngmen that
disguised Mr.. Lacey with the coal trade
and all connected with it, and he drew up
an astonishing will. directing his heirs to
set the Ednyfed pits on FIRE and let them
burn till the workings were destroyed
There was little chance that such an alb
surd order would be carried out; but while
the will was in process Of being set aside