Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-17
STRANGE PROVISIONS IN WILLS
ny FREDERIC J. nAsKIN

WASHINGTON, .. C. September Is.
"A shor; time ago wide newspaper
attention was attracted by the will of
the late Richard c. kcrcns who left
\ a large estate TO lie Inherited by his
SON, whenever that individual should
nave lived five years az "a sober and
industrious life.
The efforts Of men to thus make
! thcir Wills live after them By leaving
property so az TO enforce their desires
Is most interesting phenomouon. and
has been but little studied Virgil VI.
Harris, OF st Louis has collected some
Of these curious Wills of all ages iuto
a book, and many others may be found
by the search Of n.wSpa per files and
court records. Such research shows
that the desire TO control the conduct
of other persons after death Is a sur.
prisngly widespread one >nd arr
parcntly on the Increase. For example.
the Practic" Of providing that a wife
! shall inherit provided she does not
marry again is becoming more and
more common In old Wills II IL not
only seldom found. but the most clio
qucnt expressions OF regard and af-
lection for the spouse arc quite usual.
one old farmer quite reversed the
modern provision by making tn. sum
which hts wife was to Inherit IL shc
married again double that which she
would have If single. lie explained
tina; he was thinking Of tho second
| husband-"Hiu a gets hcr'N deserve
IT." he said.
Another man left his wife small
| bcqucst as q reward for having de-
serted him and left him in peace
Most husbands. who seek TO impose
| any restrictions upon the conduct OF
their widows, seem to I've motivated ny
( the most amazing vanity. They wish
To force themselves TO to remembered
! whatever inconvenience 10 the SUR
vivor. Thus one man loft his wife
| SGo.0 o0. which sum was 10 be doubled
/ If She wore a widows cap after his
I death. The widow wore the cap six
months got the money, married again.
| and threw the cap awaT. There was
! law suit and the widow won out. the
! court holding that the deceased should
/ have inserted the word always II
| he expected his widow 10 regard the
cap as lifelong trihu," to his mem
J orv
The hcnpecked husband who seeks
| 10 set even from the grave is not
| very rare occurrence, although most
, of them have not as much ina c!nation
| and dramatic sense as a certain Brit
| ish villagcr. whose viii was reported
! in London newspaper not long ago.
| When she read her husbands vii! this
! mans wife learned that Il she was
to inherit anything she must walk
| barefooted to the markct-place upon
every anniversary Of his death and
| ,hare holding a lighted candle in her
! hand. she was 10 read from paper
| complete confession OF how She had
nistreatcd her spouse. and to admit
| that II her tongue had been shorter
! his days might have been longer.
| She did not comfy with these REQUIRE
ments. she would get Just enough to
! keen her out Of the poorhousc.
CInu.cs Control Children.
| The attempt to control the conduct
! Of children, as did Mr.. kerens. is also
| quite common. Charles c. Dickinson'
| who died n few years ago. LETT Si.o"o 10
! pav the expenses OF his son at CoiHeH
| with the provision that the son was
| not TO go upon the waters of CaEuga
! Lake. body of water used by the
students for canoeing. swimming ana
! other water sports.
\ German uncle. who provided that
| his niece was 10 receive certain sum
| provided she was married by certain
| date. did not get exactly the result
| expected. The girl was in America
| working for a living: the commuhica-
! ton from her unclc's lawyer was de-
! laycd, ana she did not get il until one
| week before tho date that she must
| be II bride or lose n fortune. She adj
| NcrtiScd in Washington newspaper
that she would pay $500 10 any man
| who would marry her. To the first
, applicant she explained that she would
! not bother him at all after the cere-
| mony but depart at once for Germany.
| with her marriage papers. to claim the
! money The bridegroom. who needed
the 5000, and did not care especially
! whether he got = wife or not, readily
! consented TO the arrangement. and the
hcircss reached her home just in time.
\ citizen Of Columbus, Ohio. n few
wears ago left an estate OF 10000 10
| be shared BY his wife and children as
| long as they remained at home and
| together. As soon one of them left,
H.. was TO be considered as cut off from
, the patrimony.
y Russian gentleman of high posi-
ton and socialistic theories recently
died leaving his entire fortune TO four
daughters with the provision that be
fore they could enjoy the heritage they
must work n year as scrub women.
washer women. serving maids. and i'm
other mental positions which he spcci
| fed Doubtless his desire was to In
CUlcatc humility and sympathy for the
masses: but the thing did not work
exactly rs he had planned. The ladies
gave up society and worked for year
iust as he had directed: but their case
. attracted SO much attention that they
received more than $40 offers of mar.
riagc between them while working.
Opposed 10 Hirsutc Faces.
Henry Budd. who died during the
Civil War. seems TO have been pain
fully affected by the heavy boards and
mustachcs which were worn In both
the North and the South about that
time. He had two large plantations
and he left one OF these to his son
Edward. with the condition that II
Edward ever wore u mustache the es-
tate WAS to he given 10 his other son
l William. The second estate WAS be