The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1911-08-11
A SINGULAR
WILL CASE
By ARTHUR W. BREUSTER
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

OF all the strange condolences !
have ever heard none IL stranger than
one happening In my own life, and It
led to important results.
One day. happening In at my law.
yer's Office, he said to me:
ny the bye. we ~have a big lot Of
papers In your case against Bunsby
1t has all been settled up. and would
like to turn them over to you. We are
overburdened here with dead docu-
nents."
He called an Office boy and sent for
the papers. They came to me In one
large bundle. which tucked under my
arm. walked home with 1t, and threw
1t. without opening It. into an iron
box kept for family records.
Ten years passed. during which pc.
Rod ! went on an average to the box
once or twice year to toss into 1t
some document that would probably
never be needed again. ! had no &C.
casion to look into the box during all
this period. but the time came when
found 1t necessary to overhaul 1t In
a search for missing paper. BY the
time found my paper every separate
bunch had been unrolled and their con-
tents were all In confusion. Picking
up paper marked Last will and tesla.
ment Of James Chieningsby." was
somewhat surprised to 6nd such q
document
opened and ran my eye over Its
contents. There was nothing to tndi'
cate the value of the estate, nor were
the names Of any Of the legatees 70.
miliar to me. There were few small
requests to different persons. and the
residue was to be given to q minor
How the paper got into my box was q
mystery. was not interested In thu
will. but ! was deeply interested In
how It came to be where ! found It
It must have been there q long while
but not more than twenty years. fol
the date 1t was executed was no fur
Their back than that. But It might
have been put In my boz much mort
lately than that
I should have attached more impor
lance TO It II persons could not MAKE
more than one legal will. 1t strucl
me that this might be an old ont
which had been voided by later on
! and had got mixed with old out o
; date papers. But that did not explain
how It came to be in my possession
for II was not a paper In which ! o
any of my family. 80 far as knew
had any interest. looked It owe
carefully to see II there was any clev
by which l could discover who wer'
the legatees. but there was nothing +
. give me the slightest information con
! corning It. took It to my desk in {
room l occupied for smoking ant
placed It in pigeonhole. intending t
advertise 1t. But time passed, and
took no action.
, Some time after this married m,
stenographer and typewriter. She wa
very poor, and was not rich. wa
making a bare living and until on
first child was born she retained he
position In my service. Indeed. It wa
essential that she should. and whe
children came and was deprived Q
| her assistance In spite of all my ei
forts was losing my grip and coul
not afford to hire another stenogra
pher.
One morning while looking over m
newspaper my eye drifted to real e.
tate items. One Of them mentione
the sale Of piece Of property belong
Ing to the Chieningsby estate. TIL
name was an odd one. but 1t SCENE
to me that had seen It somewher
before.
my DEAR" l said to my wife. "di
you ever hear Of the name Chienings
byT
II had an uncle BY that name
though I never saw him. He disaE
peared when he was q boy and wa
never heard from. All know Of hir
Is that I heard my mother speak Q
him before she died"
kept thinking of the name till SUD
denly 1t flashed upon me that ha
seen 1t in the will found In my iro
box. went to my desk. took out tn
document and read the name of tn
testator-James Chieningsby. cal
ed my wife and read the will to hel
When I came to the name Of the bel
to the residue of the estate stopped
wonder stricken. 1t was her Made
: name.
She was as much mystified as I. Al
she knew Of the name Of Chieningsb
was what she had told me. But "
were both in a 6utter Of excitement
What did It mean? Then remember
ed that a man may make a will ever