Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-07-23
WHIMSICAL Wills
Human Nature as Shown II
Queer Requests and Requests.
FEAR OF PREMATURE BURIAL

This Dread Has Often Been the Cause
Of Curious Provisions In Last Tesla
msnts-Ths Grave Of . Man Who
pisliksd the Society Of Women.
The remarkable will of a man who
died not long ago directing the under
taker to stab him through the heart
after he had been pronounced dead By
bis physician is not a unique one. The
fear Of being buried alive has driven
many q man to stipulate In his Will
that extraordinary steps be taken to
make sure Of death.
Thus. for instance, magnate OF
Plymouth. England, decreed by his
will that his wife should cut of one
of his toes or fingers to make sure hc
was dead. adding that he made the
request so that las she had been trou'
bled with one old fool she will not
think Of marrying second"
The will Of Lord Lytton contained
special directions as to the examina-
ton of his body In order to provide
against the possibility Of his being
buried while In a trance. which ap
peared to be an apprehension Of his.
A farmer Of Hertfordshire, England.
who died In 1720. was so certain that
his lethal slumber was to be not really
death. that he inserted In his will his
written wish that. ''as he was about
to take q thirty years nap. his coffin
might be suspended from a beam In
his barn and by no means nailed
down." He. however. permitted it to
be locked. provided hole were made
In the side, through which the key
might be pushed. 80 that he might let
himself out when he awoke. His
nephew, who inherited the property.
obeyed his whim and did not bury the
coffin till 1851. allowing him an extra
year Of grace.
The Sieur Body, who died In 1s45 at
the age Of ninety-slx. said In his will:
Eight and forty hours after my de-
cease I desire that post mortem ex'
animation be made. that my heart be
taken out and placed in an urn, which
shall be Entrusted to NJ. Baudoin 1.-THE
undertaker). In conformity with an
arrangement between him and myself
nv heart Is to be conveyed to a
mausoleum In the department OF La
Mayenne and there to be deposited, as
agreed"
Robert, the famous Earl Of Mellent
and Leicester, one Of the early cru
saders in the holy land. died In LIE
in the abbey of Preaux, where his
body was buried, but his heart was
conveyed to the hospital at Brackley
there to be preserved in salt Isabella
daughter of the Earl of Pembroke, who
died In 1899, ordered her heart to bt
sent In silver cup to her brother
then abbot of Tewkesbury, to be buried
there before the high altar. The hear
of John Ballot, lord Of Barnard cas-
tie. who died in 1860. was by his wild
owls desire inclosed in an ivory caske'
richly enameled with silver.
But nil these examples, strange a.
| they may be. are not especially re
| markable among the countless mum
| bers of curious wills which are record
| ed through many generations.
There Is, for example. the Will OF
rich old bachelor. who, incensed a
what he considered the attempts OF his
| family to put him under the yoke o.
matrimony, vented his spite on thu
whole sex Of women by saying In hi
will: II beg that my executors vii
see that I am buried where there Is Mt
woman inferred, either to the right Oh
to the left of me. Should this not b'
practicable in the ordinary course o.
things direct that they purchase
three graves and bury me in the mid
die one of the three. leaving the two
others unOccupied."
John Reed, gaslighter Of the Walnu
Street theater, Philadelphia. filled tina
post for forty-four years. There II
not on record a single performance a
the theater at which he was not pres
ent. He never aspired to appear OF
the stage in his lifetime, but he wa:
not without his mute ambitions. ant
before be died he contrived ingenious
" to make sure Of assuming Shake
spearean role after his death. A CLAUSE
In his will read:
"My head Is to be separated from
nv body Immediately after my death
the latter to be buried in a grave. TIT
former, duly macerated and prepared
to be brought to the theater, where
have served all my life, and to be EN-
ployed to represent the skull OF Yorick
and to this end bequeath my head II
the properties."-New York Sun.