Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-11-07
SOME QUEER LEGAcIEs
Strange Bequests Made to Expeetant
Relatives by Various Americans.

Strange Bequests Made to Expectant
Relatives by Various Americans.
When they opened the will Of Miss
Mathilda Tommet in Milwaukee the
other day they found that one of her
bequests was pair of old shoestrings
given to a woman relative with whom
she had been on friendly terms for
many years. There did not appear to
be any sarcasm or i'll feeling connected
with the legacy, and Judged by the
common sense way in which the re-
mainder Of her property was bestowed
there did not seem to be ground for
the suspicion that the decedent was
not in her right mind.
The cases -numberless in which
odd things have been bequeathed and
countless have been the contests to
break wills that contain provisions
along lines similar to that OF Miss
Tommet's will. In New Orleans there
died not long ago wealthy old man
noted for his shrewdness in business
deals. One Of the bequests Of his very
long will was hair brush that he had
used for many years.
This brush he gave to a nephew.
Samuel Thompson Finnerty-who had
been named after the old man-with
the proviso, however, that the brush
should be kept in the Finnerty family
vault one month out Of twelve and in
a mahogany box containing an electric
belt that the decedent had worn for
many years. The acceptance Of the
brush, conditional on carrying out the
old mans wishes, meant that the
nephew was to inherit and enjoy two
thirds Of the estate. The rest of the
will was sound and tight in every re-
spect, according to the lawyers.
Margaret Ann Epping, of San Fran
cisco, left $4,000 each to ten Of her
nephews about six years ago, but this
was the condition.: Her tombstone
was to be replaced every two years
with a new one on which each nephew
in turn should cause to be chiselled
an appropriate verse setting forth his
love and affection" AS the bequests
were in the shape Of annuities from
bulk fund the nephews in order to
draw upon the fund for their income
had to comply with the demands of
the decedent.
One nephew sued and was beaten.
Although under the terms Of the will
he was to forfeit his share for con-
testing, the will was so construed and
interpreted that he still received his
annuity, but subject to the new tomb
stone conditions.
Jabez Hollister, Of Montreal, left his
two sons the use Of a corn razor that
he-a cutler-had specially ground and
fixed up for chiropedic use. For the
sake of their health and the risk they
ran from blood poisoning If other corn
cutters were used" the sons were ad-
monished to use no other cutter, and
cash amount was to be forfeited If they
disobeyed. One son, after he had re-
covered from the shock of his fathers
death, laughingly told the lawyers
that he had never had a corn in his
life. But the lawyers insisted that his
father was likely to have known
whether he had or not.
A Louisville widow found that when
her husbands will was opened he had
bequeathed her his bath robe. And
these were the words that went with
the bequest: "Inasmuch as she has
deprived me so often of the comfort
and convenience of the garment that
was bought for my own personal use,
by wearing the aforesaid bath robe at
times when l desired and needed it
most, bequeath it to her with all my
love and hope she will ever find it the
same tried and faithful servitor even
though Providence should bless her
with another husband who may have
bath robe to spare" The decedent
was called the Mark Twain Of his
neighborhood in Louisville.
There is one actual case on record
of bequest Of artificial teeth. But as
it was so long ago the legal chroni-
cles think the decedent had in mind
the sale of the teeth to the dentists of
the time so that cash might be realiz-
ed. Many cases are narrated Of wo-
men bequeathing their hair to their
heirs to be converted into money
New York Sun.
An Enterprising Farmer.-A farmer
and his wife in an out of the way