The Washington bee., 1907-03-09
Wills ESTATE TO PICS
HOW ROBERT MCDONALD GOT
EVEN WITH HIS RELATIVES.
Sum of $4,000 Bequeathed to Pair of
Porkers to Spite Distant Kin
Provision Made for Their Ill
ness and for Young Ones.

Lake Afnslfe, Cape Breton.-Just to
get even with his relatives, who he
declared, had faWned on him for years
and derided him behind his back
while waiting for him to die that they
might inherit his life savings, Robert
Macdonald bequeathed everything he
owned to his two pigs. The estate
amounts to about $4,000 and every
cent is to go to the porkers and their
keepers.
Macdonald had no near kin, but
dozen distant relatives kept close
track of him and, he declared shortly
before his death, that their only inter
est was in his money. This belief
soured him against the cousins, but
they were not aware of the fact and
when the old man passed away
fortnight ago they hastened to hear
the will read They were greatly as
tonished and intensely indignant
when they learned 70 the disposition
of the property.
While Macdonald had never been
known to keep swine he no sooner
learned from his doctor that he must
prepare to die than he sent to a neigh
boring farmer and bought two young
pigs, a male and a female. These he
caused tc be placed and fed in a pen
at the rear of the house. He then
sent for his solicitor and dictated his
will, saying that if he gave his for
tune of $4,000 to his cousins 1t would
be in the hands of pigs who denied
their identities and that he might as
we'll give it to porkers which made
no pretenses."
By the terms of this unique docu-
ment the house is to be sold at
auction. The funds accTuing from the
sale are then to be banked and the in
terest, together with the income from
all other funds possessed by Mr.. Mac
Donald at the time of his death, is to
be used to feed and care for the two
pigs. The attendant is to provide a
pen at his own expense and receive
for rental and care the sum of two
dollars per week, exclusive of the
amount paid for executor. for which
service he is to receive the regular
legal fee.
1t is stipulated that when the pigs
shall become hogs and multiply their
young shall be cared for, as shall their
offspring. the fees to the attendant be-
ing raised so cents per week for every
six pigs he raises. For every pig that
dies he is to forfeit ten cents a week
for ten weeks, unless death is due TO
hog cholera, when the forfeit is to be
waived. In event of illness among the
hogs the best veterinary in the prov
ince is to be engaged.
As the interest on IS, 200 at four per
cent. amounts to but 1920 per annum,
and as the attendants fees and feed
ing viii exhaust this amount the first
year, the will provides that drafts
may be made on the principal immedi-
ately after the first litter of pigs is
born. THEREAFTER the principal shall
be used as needed until no cash re-
mains in the bank At this time the
hogs and pigs are to be sold and the
money devoted to such local charities
as the executor may elect.
In case an epidemic takes OF the
hogs within a given time all that re-
mains of the fund is to be given to
three churches TO be used in caring
for cemeteries. Thus, it is for the in
terest of the executor to see that his
charges live as long as possible Ex-
perts in farming are now busy trying
10 figure out how long the IS 1000 Will
last. There are as many answers as
there are farmers.