The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-03-28
LEGACY WITH AN ODD SEQUEL
with II Rhode Island Womnn's
Legacy from m Indiana Man.

Legacy from an Indiana Man.
The mystery which has surrounded
the legacy of $1,4oo which recently
came to Mrs. Airline Rider, of Provi-
dence, r. l., has been cleared up by
letter, which explains that the
money was left by the will of David
L. Pratt, of Chalmers, Ind, says a
special correspondence of the Chi
cago Inter Ocean.
Some months ago B. V. Vosburg,
an attorney at Chalmers, wrote to
Mrs. Rider, telling her of the legacy,
and saying that the will had been
probated and all the forms of law
complied with, and that the money
was at her disposal on receipt of
proofs that she was the Mrs. Rider
named in the will. Mrs. Rider was
unable to account for the legacy.
She knew no David I. Pratt, and had
never even heard of such a person,
but from the description of herself
in the will she could not doubt that
she was the person referred to.
Now she knows all about it. An
other letter has just been received,
in which was inclosed a letter to
Mrs. Rider from the man now dead,
and which at once made everything
plain regarding the beqnest. The
letter informed her that the money
was bequeathed to her as matter
of restitution, not generosity. Thir-
ty years ago, when he was living I'M
der an assumed name, he made the
acquaintance of some members of
her family, on the strength of which
he once called at her home at time
when he was without dollar in the
world.
Mrs. Rider sympathized with him in
a few days until he was we'll enough
to resume his journey. Being unpro-
vided with linen, an effort was made
to supply him with nightshirt, but,
it being Monday, there was not a
spare garment in the house. A sub
stitute was found in an old blue out
ing shirt, which once belonged to the
lady's brother, then dead, and which
had not been used for years.
There was an inside pocket to this
outing shirt, and in that pocket were
five $500 bills. The guest did not give
the money to his hostess in the morn
| ing. He reasoned it out that the broth
er had placed the money in the shirt
before he died, and had never told of
it. Lawrence decided to appropriate
the money to his own use and return
it later. The use to which he put the
money, however, did not turn out well
and soon he was as penniless as ever
He went west, and after some years OF
hard struggling succeeded in making
money, and lots of it. But he did not
restore the $500. He was afraid that
publicity would follow it, and that
would hurt him in his business, so he
put off the deed of restitution from
day to day, until he found himself or
his dying bed.
Then he sent for his lawyer, and hat
a codicil attached to the WILL which
gave Mrs. Rider $1,40O, being the orig
inal $500, with six per cent. interes-
for 30 years added. He earnestly en-
treated Mrs. Rider to forgive him fol
keeping her so long out of what he sup
posed was hers, and hoped that sh'
would look upon the transaction al
one of banking, not stealing.
Mrs. Rider we'll remembers the oc
currence of three decades ago. 1t wa
she who found the old outing shir
while ransacking bureau drawers TO
nightshirt. She had no idea of an,
money being in it, and had no reason tt
suppose that her brother had tina
amount of money. But, as she wa
her brothers heir, she feels that sh,
can take the bequest without strain
ing her conscience. 1t comes al tim
when she is in sore need, and she re
CARDS the legacy as al. answer to he:
prayer for deliverahce from the pov
erty into which she had fallen.
An Awful jolt.