The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-01
THE PERKINS WILL
Value of the Lawrence Mans
Estate Still Unknown.
Instrument Filed in the Court
Contains ID, 600 Words.
MONTHS TO DRAFT.
The Bulk of the Fortune Goes
to Widow and Children.
A Queer Feature Is That the
Property Is Not Located.

Lawrence, Kan, July 1.-The will
of the late l.. H. Perkins, who died as
q result of a fall from the roof of his
residence here, will be filed in the pro-
bate court today. The instrument is
a remarkable one in many ways and
is very long, containing approximate
ly 5000 words. 1t shows the charac-
teristics of its maker and every word
and line of it is in his own handwrit-
ing as he himself certif1es.
The drafting must have taken
months of work. He added codicils
and long after the will was drafted
evidently changed the idea he had
when the will was first drawn. From
the main body of the instrument there
Is nothing to be found save general
direction to his trustees as to the dis
position of his property which he does
not designate.
The trustees he appointed are
Adolph c. Griesa, who has long been
his neighbor and friend; w. E. Haz-
en- of the Watkins National Bank and
Prof. w. H. Carruth of the University
of Kansas. One is a nurseyman,
another a banker and the other a man
of letters but all men of business af-
fairs. He directs that they shall each
give bond in the sum of $1,000, the
bond to be paid for by the estate This
is one of the most peculiar provisions
OF the Will NHen II Is remembered IndI
he bequeaths an estate worth perhaps
one million dollars and gives entire
charge of it into their hands.
The homestead which he recites has
always been in the name of his wife,
he gives to her and in addition orders
the trustees to pay her $4,000 in
cash and to give her all his personal
property in the nature of household
goods stocks, implements. library and
the like.
The remainder of his property is to
be placed in a common fund for the
benefit of his wife and three sons Gle
ment, Rollin and Lucius, subject to the
life estate of the widow. The widow
is to have, during her life, one-half
the income from the estate and the
other half is to go to the sons for
their education. The income from the
estate not used shall be invested in a |
kins trust estate" When 81 years of
age any son may draw his part of |
the income that accrues after that |
time. At 25 he may draw all the ac- |
crued interest. At 81 he may demand !
and receive one-third of the prnci- |
pal At 81 he may draw one-half of |
the remainder and at SO he may call |
for an accounting and take his entire
share. An order is made that the |
trustees. shall employ an expert book
keeper and render an accounting twice
a year fully and accurately of every |
investment The trustees have full
power in the management of this trust
and are to receive for thesr services
10 per cent of the net profits of the !
estate.
The trustees are forbidden to specu-
late or to invest the funds save in
government bonds and municipal
bonds and bonds of reliable corpora
lions. and are forbidden to invest in
stocks. If one of the four of the fam
lily dies. the shares of that one shall
go to the others in equal proportion.
the will are:
F. NJ Perkins, cancellation of all in
d. btedness
Mrs F. NJ. Perkins, $780,
Otis Perkins, $100.
Margaret Perkins. S10O
Francis Perkins. 500.
Mary Hendee, sister. $500.
Nellie V. Morris. $500.
Mary JudsOn, aunt, $500.
Abram Haptonstall. uncle, 500.
City library. $100
Plymouth Congregational church.
800.
Mrs. Russell Foster. sister. 500.
All other property is to go to the
widow and sons as specified. He pro-
vides that his wife's sister. Miss Nellie
Morris, shall be given home and live
with the family without expense. This
will was made and executed Decem- |
Der 81, 1905. and was witnessed by
:. ]. Churchill and n. c. Schneider.
Nearly a year after this will was !
maze MT 3eGklnS seems to have I ,
his idea and determined to .
invest his money in life insurance He
ook out policies aggregating S53O,OOO ,
n life insurance and $4,000 in acct
lent policies. His estate from these
Hone will therefore aggregate $545-
700. In no place and in no way does
he intimate the value of his estate,
ave where he mentions these policies
md the trustees themselves Will not
know the value of the estate until
hey have taken an inventory of the
sSetS.
After stating his investment in life |
Mr.. Perkins added codicil
hat is even more Intricate and specific
han the original will. He gives min
lite directions as to the disposition of
III parts of the estate and creates from {
he life insurance policies an INSTALL
nent fund" that directs specifically ,
ust how every dollar is to be disposed ,
If and how it shall be handled by the |
rustees. In this codicil he directs
I