The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-11-03
How Mr.. and Mrs. BRYAN Dis
tr;butsd The Bennett Fund.
GIVEN TO COLLEGES.
The South Carolina College Got -Four
Hundred Dollars of the Fund.
Other Colleges inw.the South
Were Also Given a Share
of the Fund.

tNVV UhoV ShC oClAOuu CopNCO 10
finally settled Mr.. Bryan submits the
following statement to the public:
In the spring Of 1900 Mr.. Philo s.
Bennett, living at New Haven, Conn.
and engaged In the mercantile business
in the city of Now York, Visited Ne
braska and asked.Mr. Bryan to assist
him in preparing certain paragraphs
of his will (all the other provisions be.
ing copied from a former will.) The
paragraphs referred to were: First,
for a library at SALON., Ill. Git proyid.
ed for a bequest Of 81, 500 to which
Mr.. Bryan WAS to add $1,500.) Second
$4,000 to establish q fund at twenty
five colleges, TO be selected by Mr.. Bry-
an, the annual proceeds to be used for
D prize to encourage a study OF the
principles OF free government. Third,
$40, 900 TO besdistribnted among col.
leges, to be selected by Mr.. Bryan,
the annual income to be used TO aid
poor boys to obtain an education.
Fourth, $40, 600 to DO distributed
among colleges, to be selected by Mrs.
Bryan, the annual income to be used
to assist poor girls and obtain an edu.
cation. Fifth, $50, 900 to Mrs. Ben
nett, in trust for q purpose set forth
in a sealed letter deposited with the
will. This sealed letter directed Mrs.
Bennett to pay the amount to MIR.
Bryan (Mr. Bennett proposed 1T as a
direct beQueSt but at the request OF
Mr.. Bryan it was given to Mrs. Ben
nett In trust, because Its acceptance
was con%ditional.) The sealed letter
directed Mr.. Bryan to distribute the
$50, 600 among educational and oharit-
able institutions In case he refused to
accept it for himself and family. The
residuary legate3 contested the three
SIC, 200 items and the $50, 900 item.
The court confirmed the $40, 900 items
but on technical grounds held that
the $50, 600 bequest was imperative.
The readers Of The Commoner have
already been Informed Of the main
facts, namely, that the widow and
other relatives were bounbifullY pro.
vided for; that the teStator's intention
was never questioned and that tho
charge OF undue influence was with.
drawn; and that Mr.. Bryan announc-
ed in the beginning that he would not
accept the bequest without the con
sent Of the widow, but that he felt in
honor bound to insist upon the dis
tributlon OF the $50, 600 as directed by
MI. Bennett.
Mr.. Bryan was thus drawn into q
contest IN which he had but q remote
and contingent pecuniary interest, II
In fact he had any at all, but which
he could not In conscience abandon.
The contest cost him q little more
than fifteen hundred dollars for attor
ney's fees and court costs, besides
travelling expenses and loss Of time
In submitting his report as execu
tor he claimed the customary fee 50,
500, explaining that the amount would
not be used by him for himself, but
would be spent in completing the plans
made by Mr.. Bennett. The fee was
a~lloWed4by the probate court and was
used az follows:
Fourteen hundred and ghty.n nine
dollars and forty three cents was used
to pay that part Of the inheritance tax
which was not covered by interest, sc
that the 81 800 library fund, and the
three $4,000 funds might be used In
full. Three hundred and fifty dCdarS
was given TO the city of Salam~ as an
endowment for the libraxJ(Mr. Bry.
an besides giving 81, 5Gd|to the Salem
library gives the Gtfe, worth consider.
ably more thatf$350) Two hundred
dollars haSSaSbeen deposited with Mr..
Sloan, sS6r. Behnet's surviving partner.
to @9ay for u bust OF Mr.. Bennett fol
~>'Ghe Salem library. The balance, $500.
81 less the cost CT filing reports, viii
be paid TO Rev. Alexander Irvine, Mr..
Benefits pastor, to be used by him
In the education OF his sons
The three $40, 600 funds have been
distributed as follows:
BENNETT PRIZE FUND.
-Four hundred dollars each to the
following colleges;
Delaware College, Newark, Del.
BoWdoin College, Brunswick Me.
A.. and M. College Of Kentucky,
Lexington, Ky.
Harvard University, Cambridge,
Mass.
Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.
University OF Tennessee, Knoxville
Tenn.
st. Johns College. Annapolis, Nd.
University or Idaho, Moscow, Idaho.
University Of Montana, Missoula;
Mont.
University OF Utah, Salt Lake City,
Utah.
University Of Washington, Seattle,
Wash.
University Of South Dakota, Yer.
million, S. ID.
University OF California, Berkeley,
Cal.