The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-10-22
MAKE YOUR Will IN TINE.

Few men are to be advised on the
necessity of making their wills be-
cause it is a grave subject in more
than one sense. It implies that the
hour of death is fast approaching and
the time is at hand when you must
part with boarded earnings. "To
will'' is to give away; and the man
who has toiled and sweated to amass
a moiety of this worlds goods does
not, at the end, contemplate with a
great degree of pleasure the prospect
of passing over the possession of his
little all to another person. These
and various other influences tend to
make the execution of wills favorite
subject of procrastination. The hale
and hearty old man thinks he has
many years of happiness yet left, be-
fore it will be necessary to take such
a step. 1t is put off from year to
year until the very threshold of ex-
often happens that the mi mind d i 81 weaR A6p
with age aud disease. The memory
is ebbing away and the reason is un-
stable and fighty. It is very easy
for litigious relatives to charge undue
influence. 1t is not impossible to
prove state of mind under which
the alleged will is declared null and
void. The reports, too, are full of
cases where, in the hurry and excite
ment of one moment, requisite formal
tiles were omitted !; flaws" impor-
tant enough to upset the entire ar
rangement crept in unnoticed and
unchallenged.
Even so good lawyer as Rufus
Choate is said at one time to have
drawn up faulty will. He discov-
cred the imperfection only when he
chanced to be getting into bed after
hard days labor. A stray refec-
ton had directed his attention to the
matter, whereupon, being too con-
scientious to take the responsibility
of the future litigation that might
arise, he mounted his horse, rode FIVE
miles and obtained the signature Of the
dying man to the necessary correc-
ton. The first rule in the matter of
making wills to be emphasized is to
make them in time. Dispose of the
business while your health is good
and your mind is clear. You can
then best judge what the wisest and
most beneficial disposition of your
property may be. You can then make
the most proper provision for those
in which you feel a praiseworthy in
terest. Aud there will be no danger
of will under these circumstances
being liable to the opposition of quar-
relsome and evil-minded persons, who,
to get few dollars of mans estate,
are willing to prove him insane. 1t
is also a good practice to invite the
assistance of a reliable attorney, so
that your will may be drawn up in
legal shape. 1t is poorest economy
in the world to try to save few dol
lars. getting along without such as
acduafnted Rlfsshf WITH ST FP Ase
pies and feel reasonably able to suc-
ceed without further legal aid.
No man need be afraid to have his
will drawn up, even though he may
have years of life before him. Its
provisions cannot take effect until his
death, nor will its existence interfere
with the operation Of subsequent wills,
since the latest will is an ipso facto
revocation of prior instruments of the
same kind. So much money has been
spent, trouble incurred and ill-feeling
occasioned by faulty and defective
wills that few plain words on an old
subject will not come amiss. In nine
cases out of ten the law makes good
will, but there are circumstances
which render written will necessary,
and when this contingency arises it
should be drawn skillfully. y.-LGnoas-
ten (Pa.) Examiner.