The New York herald., 1921-08-05
CARUSO TOOK EVERYTHING
BACK WITH HIM TO ITALY
Continued from First Page.


tor. Mr.. Sperco is quoted as saying
this instrument was executed not long
before the birth of little Gloria, the
daughter OF Mr.. and Mrs. Caruso that
under it's terms the estate was divided
\ into six equal parts among the testator's
nearest OF kin namely, his stepmother
4 in Italy Giovanni Caruso, his brother;
his two sons by an earlier union, Ro-
dolfo and Enrico, Jr.: Mrs. Dorothy
Benjamin Caruso, his wife, and Gloria
Caruso, the baby daughter.
''As matter OF fact, the will referred
/ to was executed a month or two after
| the birth of little Gloria, and not before
\ that event Its execution must have
been either in January or February.
! 1920. 1t was Photographic viii. That
is It was written in Mr.. Carusos own
handwriting Nobody else ever had II
I in his custody. ] recall very well also
! that II was an exceedingly brief docu-
ment The instrument was witnessed
ny myself. Mr.. Sperco and Salvatore
Fucito, Mr. Caruso's accompanfst and
friend. Each OF us simply signed an
attest of the signature, and ] have no
idea that any one of the witnesses was
familiar with tAe provisions Of the in
gtrument. Our signatures were ap-
pended In Carusos apartment Mr.. Caruso
at that time w;ts IN good health, but he
evidently had In mind the responsibility
newly imposed upon him by the birth
OF his little daughter.
Il am quite confident also that Mr..
| Caruso took that document with him
personally when he sailed for italy. al
| though / note published statements TO
the effect that it was forwarded from
| here last Tuesday by Mr.. Sperco to Mr..
| Caruso's legal adviser is Italy, G. Vec-
chiettine. of ~ VIA San Fredino. Flor
ence."
Commenting upon London cable adj
vices stating that Caruso had made
later will after his arrival in Sorrento.
| Mr.. Zirato shrugged his shoulders and
| conceded: THAT is quite possible. /
can only say have ho knowledge con-
| cerning il, and in my good ftiend's let
\ ters to me he had made no mention
/ of such document. But I should not
| be surprised If he mad done so. After he
| had .convalesced from his illness here we
We're talking one day of the brief will
he had executed in 1920. / suggested to
| him that I thought he should make
more formal instrument, as he doubtless
would wish to provide for certain public
| bequests.
| II reminded him that many of the art
| objects in his collection had come from
| Rome, others originally were a part OF
| the Morgan collection and so on. 1
! assumed that in the event of his death,
| it would be his wish to return some of
| these beautiful things by bequest to the
! collections from which they had CONF
! When / advised that his will ought to
1 specify these provisions, il such were
4 his desire, he smiled and made some
l jocular remark signifying that he would
| give 1t thought later.
Mr.. Zirato, as well as DR. Antonio
stella, one Of Caruso's attending physi-
clans, both expressed satisfaction when
\ they read the cabled news that DR.. Raf-
| faele Bastiannelli had disparaged the
disposition evidenced In Italy among
som emedica1 men to criticise the treat
ment of Caruso's case by American sur
geons and physicians. "All such criti-
cisms are most unjust" said the secrc-
tary. The gratitude felt by both Mr.
and Mrs. Caruso toward his staff of
American physicians and surgeons was
unqualified and unbounded. Mr.. Caruso
realized fully that all had been done
\ for him that the most enlightened
science and the most. consummate skill
could achieve.
Toward Dr. Erdmann, who had per-
i formed the operations upon him, he felt
/ the warnest cordiality One of the first
| acts of his convalescence was 10 draw
in his inimitable style a caricature of
DIR. Erdmann, beneath which he signed
his autograph with the superscription.
al mio salvatore Ito my savior). Mr..
Caruso himself joined with all the other
doctors in referring facetiously to DIR.
Erdrnann as fthe boss On May "a,
Just few days before his ship sailed.
he had all five of the doctors here, and
TO each he presented one of his largest
photographs. affectionately autographed
and superbly framed in bronze.
II wen remember on that day Mr..
a. -. H.. ~ f..tt Il,
| invited the whole staff of doctors to go
along with him as his guests to Italy.
Tie wanted no better comrades. he told
them They laughed and DIR. Erdmann
/ retorted Gosh, Caruso, that would cost
evcn you too much money we are eX-
| pensiye guests I'd have YOU know;' The
| singer pressed his invitation until the
doctors. seeing he was serious made him
understand that they could rot accom-
pany him In justice to the CLAIMS OF
other patients"
Enrico Caruso. Jr., the tenor's younger
son by an early union. arrived here
yesterday. from the Culver Military
Academy, where he Is a student. lie
had telegraphed Mr. Zirato that he
was lonesome on learning of his fathers
death and had been invited to join the
private secretary in the Caruso suite
! in the Vanderbilt, which he did,
| Before the Italian line ship Argentina
| sailed yesterday many of the men or
/ her crew, some Of whom had served
aboard the President Wilson when II
carried Caruso to his home, inaugu-
rated a movement for some kind of
Caruso memorial to stand as a mark of
the esteem and affection in which the
singer was held 10y Italian seamen gen.
4 orally.
The Rotary Club at its regular weekly
luncheon in the Hotel McAlpin. sent
cablegram OF coincidence 10 the widow OF
the greatest OF tenors, and as tribute