Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-07

to the probate court for allowance for
the al-sufficient reason that until 1t IS
allowed not one dollars worth of real
or personal property can pass under the
will until we set it up. as it is called
The man who made the will may have
been insane and only Is years OF age.
and if he was either he cannot make
Will in Massachusetts. because the law
says that to make will a person must
be of full age and sound mind. wo-
man can make will exactly the same
as a man. the only requirement being
that she, too must be sane and q Years
of age
Remsen. a great authority on wills,
says that so per cent of wills contain
some ohsenrits or omission. They are,
therefore. open to attack and a large
portion Of them fatally defective. Here
lis another interesting fact Statistics
show that out of every 100 persons dying
in modern times, Is per cent. leave no
estate at all. and this is true of the
most prosperous and wealthy portions of
the country out of the 100 about 30 per
cent. leave estates. but less than 10 per
cent leave estates exceeding $1,000. 1t Is
certainly an interesting fact that I'm this
land of opportunity and plenty where
automobiles are so thick that one would
think they cost about nickel apiece, that
less than 10 per cent. leave estates ex-
eeeding 5000. That automobile may rep
resent fine. young, iusty mortgage, or
be the temporary property of some slick
insurance agent, who. although pretend
ing to be millionaire, when he dies
leaves an exceedingly unsavory reputa-
ton and debts of n few million or two,
but no estate for his wife and family
| quote you now an extract from the
will of a man who died in 1899 not 1900
miles from Haverhil He says in his
will: ut is my will that at my
decease my remains shall be placed
in the tomb l am now aobut to
erect on my lot in the cemetery aforesaid
and my said remains placed in sitting
position in an easy. reclining chair
will proved in our court on November q,
1897, has this provision in it My two
wives are buried in the old burying
ground, laying east and west. ] wish to
lay north and south, so that my head
may rest on one and my feet ON the
other
A singular will was that of a certain
woman who resided in an apartment
house on Beacon street, Boston, who
died in 1910. The value of her entire
possessions, when inventoried.~ WAS found
not to exceed 500. and she was buried by
friends. Yet by her will she created be-
quests and legacies amounting to $780,
90 j. j. f. Gregory of Marblehead left
a trust fund of $1,000 in his will. provid-
ing that the income of it be paid to any
twins that might be born in town after
his decease On July 10, 1910, the first set
of twins We're born and they are benefc-
iaries under this provision, left, he said,
as an expression of his sympathy by rea-
son of the extra burdens entailed on
loving mothers, poor In the things of this
earth.
There are wills in poetry. for instance,
the will of Attorney Smithers:-
As TO all my worldly goods, now or to be
in store,
| give them to my beloved VIE, ana mere
foreVermOre
| give all freely; | no limit fix,
This is my will, and she's executrix.
Henry Budd in his will in 1862 wrote:
I'm case my son. Edward. shall wear
m,stache, then the devise hereinbefore
contained in his favor shall be void"
We get many funny letters at the pro-
bate court, such as this ONE
Are you Register of Reprobates? If 50,
/ want You TO know that my husband
has Just died, detested, leaving several
infidels and | want TO be appointed ex-
ecutioner." What the good lady meant
was that her husband had just died in
testate that is without WILL leaving sew
eral infants, minor children. and that she
wanted to be appointed executrix, or
more accurately speaking, administra-
trix.
John Ridge left peculiar bequest,
pound year for some poor man to go
round the parish church while the SER
mon was being preached, awakening the
slumberers and Incidentally ejecting any
stray dogs that might invade the sacred
premises. A plot of land rejoicing in the
name of Petticoat Hole is held in York
shire, Eng, on condition of providing
poor woman of the place with new pet
ticoat once a year-Springheld Republi-