The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-13

New York, July f9-(Special.) )-Al- though the estimate of the aggregate value of the estate of which Col. Oliver Hazard Payne died possessed on June 27 fixed the amount at 80 900, yet there will be no surprise expressed by those who were familiar with Colonel Paynes career HIS a business man if the final in- ventory should show that the value of the estate Is considerably in excess of $1oo, ,oO0,o00. He was almost uniformly successful in his business undertakings, especially those of magnitude, and no small part of his estate reflects appre- citation in the market value of securities which he bought from time to time His yearly income must have been among the largest received by any of the wealthy men in the United States and as he was careful in his personal habits, not given to ostentation, the probabili- ties are that he spent a relatively small portion of the income His estate, even though in the final inventory it is found to be not more than $90,000 000 is ap- prcximately the same as the estate left by Commodore Vanderbilt It exceeds the estate left by E. H. Hartman by at least S,0c0,o00 and the Jay Gould estate as that was at the time of Gould S death by at least s15,oco.o0o.
 DISTRIBUTION OF ESTATE
 It is, however, not so much the mag nitude of this accumulation from a small beginning as it is the distribution of the estate that is commanded by the will of Colonel Payne that has caused some comment. A little over s70Oo,oO0 is to be distributed in the form of gifts, and there are some, comparatively speaking small bequests. One of the largest is for s10o0c0 to Lewis Cass Ledyard, who was for many years not only Colonel Payne's confidential legal advisor, but also one of his most intimate personal friends.
 The residue of the estate is to be re- ceived in equal shares by four nephews and two nieces. The omission of the name of Harry Payne Whitney as one of the resduary heirs has caused the chief comment which followed the pubIi- cation of the general statement which set forth the terms of Colonel Payne's will. Harry Payne Whitney and Payne Whitney are brothers and sons of the late William c. Whitney and his first wife, who was a sister of Colonel Payne. No more devoted attachment between brother and sister would be possible than that which always was maintained be- tween 1OlOHeIe fdyne ana SlSleT, AlFS Whitney. His devotion was manifested visibly to every one who saw the brother and sister together and was often re- vealed by gifts to Mrs. Whitney.
 A GREAT BIRTHDAY GIFT
 Upon one occasion early in the married life of William C. Whitney and his wife Mrs. Whitney found upon her dressing table one birthday morning a parcel, which, upon opening, disclosed a cer- tificate for 10000 shares of Standard Oil company's stock which at that time was of the market value of $1, 500, 900. It was a birthday present from her brother. With characteristic generosity Mrs. Whitney placed this money, or good part of it in the hands of her husband and it was with this substantial sum that he was able to begin his somewhat spectacular career as an organizer of the street railway and other properties so successfully that at last he became rec