Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1905-11-27


find this will to be a strange document,
but I think Mr.. JonessAthe executor,
evnlafns any mystery that may be sug-
oastpd by it's terms. While Sedgwicks
vrbeFeabouts were unknown to his old
friends in New York, it seems that he
was fully posted on all that was going
on here. He knew that you were the
only child of your mother and therefore
his only nephew. He sets forth the
dates of your mothers marriage, of
your birth, of the death of Robert
Brewster and of Mrs. Brewster He
also was aware of the fact that old
Edwin Peter Brewster intended to be-
Queath a large fortune to you, and
thereby hangs a tale. Sedgwick was
proud. When he lived in New York he
was regarded as the kind of man who
never forgaye the person who touched
roughly upon his pride. You know, of
course, that your father married Miss
Sedgwick in the face of the most bit
ter opposition on the part of Edwin
Brewster The latter refused to recog-
nize her as his daughter, practically
disowned his son and heaped the harsh
est kind of calumny upon the Sedg-
wicks. 1t was commonly believed about
town that Jim Sedgwick left the coun-
try three or four years after this mar
riage for the sole reason that he and
Edwin Brewster could not live in the
same place. So deep was his hatred
of the old man that he fed to escape
killing him. 1t was known that upon
one occasion he visited the office of his
sisters enemy for the purpose Of STAY
ing him, but something prevented. He
carried that hatred to the grave, as
you will see."
gather himself together from within
the fog which made himself and the
world unreal.
81 believe I'd like to have you read
this extraor-the will, Mr.. Grant" he
said. with an effort to hold his nerves
IN leash.
Mr.. Grant cleared his throat and be-
gan in his still voice. Once he looked
Up to find his listener eager, and again
to find him grown<indifferent He won
dered dimly if this were a pose.
In brief, the last will of James T.
Sedgwick bequeathed everything, real
and personal, of which he died pos
sessed to his only nephew, Montgomery
Brewster of New York, son Of Robert
and Louise Sedgwick Brewster. Sup
plementing this all important clause
there was a set of conditions govern
ing the final disposition Of the estate
! The most extraordinary of these con-
/ ditiOns was the one which required
! the heir to be absolutely penniless upon
I the twenty-siXth anniversary Of his
birth, Sept. %.
The instrument went into detail in
respect to this supreme condition. 1t
set forth that Montgomery Brewster
was to have no other worldly posses
sion than the clothes which covered
him on the September day named. He
was to begin that day without a penny
to his name, without a single article
of jewelry, furniture or finance that
he could call his own or could there
after reclaim. At o'clock, New York
time, on the morning of Sept. % the
executor, under the provisions of the
will, was to make over and transfer
to Montgomery Brewster all of the
moneys, lands, bonds and interests
mentioned in the inventory which ac-
companied the will. In the event that
Montgomery Brewster had not in every
particular complied with the require
ments of the will to the full satisfac
ton of the said executor, Swearengen
: Jones, the estate was to be distributed
among certain Institutions of charity
DESIGNATED in the instrument Under
lying TINS imperative injunction OF
James sedgwick was plainly discerni
& bic the motive that prompted>it. Ii
almost so many words he declared thai
Z his heir should nOf,receiye the fortune
i if he possessed a single penny that ha6
: come to him in any shape or form
e from the man he hated, Edwin Peter
/ Brewster. While Sedgwick could no
e have known at the time of his dealt
e that the banker had bequeathed 81,
e 100000 TO his grandson, it was more
y than apparent that he expected tht
e young man to be enriched literally BY
his enemy 1t was to preclude an!
: possible chance of the mingling of hi!
o fortune with the smallest portion O
i Edwin p. BrewSter's that James .Sedg
d wick on his deathbed put his hand f
/ this astonishing instrument
: There was also a clauseIn which b.
e undertook to dictate the. conduct o
i Montgomery Brewster during the. yea
: leading M to bis twenty-sixth Anniver
+ sary. lie required that the young MAJ
|, should give satisfactory evidence {
the executor tat he was capable 0
y managing his affairs shrewdly AM
wisely; that Le possessed the abilit
to add to the fortune through. his owi
; enterprise: that he shoGld come TO hi
= twenty-sixth anniversary with a fal
, name and a record free from anytifin
\ worse than mild forms of dissipation
+ that his habits be temperate; that b
possess nothing at the end of the yea
which might be regarded as '.yisibl
or invisible asset" that he make n
endOWmentS: that he give Sparingfy