The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-12-13

~ though struck By q sudden thought,
be laid the paper down and turned
once more to Brewster.
1T seems that sedgwick never mar.
ried. Your mother was his sister and
his only known relative Of close con-
nection. He was q man Of most Pc
culiar temperament, but In full posses
sion of his mental faculties. You may
find this will to be q strange document,
but ! think Mr.. Jones. the executor.
explains any mystery that may be sug-
gested by Its terms. While Sedgwick's
whereabouts were unknown to his old
friends In New York, 1t 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 tale. Sedgwick was
proud. When he lived in New York be
was regarded a. the kind of man who
never forgave 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 recoe.
nice her - his daughter. practically
disowned his son and heaped the harsh-
est kind Of calumny upon the Sedg-
wicks. It was commonly believed about
town that Jim Sedgwick left the coun.
try three or four years after tSis mar
riage for the sole reason that he and
Edwin BrswSter could not live In the
same place. So deep was bis hatred
Of the old man that he ned to escape
killing him. 1t was known that upon
one occas1on he visited the once Of his
sisters enemy for the purpose of slay.
Ing him, but something prevented. He
carried that hatred to the grave, 40
you will see.'
Montgomery Brewster was trying to
gather himself together from within
the fog which made himself and the
world unreal
Il 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 pose.
In brief. the last will Of James T.
Sedgwick bequeathed everything, real
and personal. of which he died DOS
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 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
the twenty-sixth anniversary Of his
birth, Sept. %.
The instrument went into detail in
respect to this supreme condition. It
set forth that Montgomery Brewster
was to have no other worldly posses
sion than the clothes which covered
him OH the September day named. He
was to begin that day without 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 8 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 &C.
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 this imperative injunction Of
James Sedgwick was plainly discerni-
BILE the motive that prompted 1t. In
almost SO many words he declared that
his heir should not receive the fortune
II he possessed a single penny that had
come to him in any shape or form
from the man he hated. Edwin Peter
Brewster. While Sedgwick could not
have known at the time of his death
that the banker had beQueathed ST.
100000 to his grandson, 1t was more
than apparent that he expected the
young man to be enriched literally by
bis enemy. 1t was to preclude any
possible chance Of the mingling of his
fortune with the smallest portion Of
Edwin P. Brewster's that James Sedg-
wick ON his deathbed put his hand to
this astonishing instrument.
There was also clause In which he
undertook to dictate the conduct Of
Montgomery Brewster during the year
leading up to his twenty sixth anniver-
sary. He required that the young man
should give satisfactory evidence to
the executor that he was capable Of
managing his affairs shrewdly and
wisely; that he possessed tho ability
to add to the fortune through his own