Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-08

old gas bills, the lid of collar box and on
birch bark, by miners entombed In the bowels
Of the earth, by trappers freezing to death in
the ArcticS, by prisoners Of war In strange and
hostile countries and by men caught in the
death traps that are submarines on the bottom
Of the sea-while waiting for a merciful death
to wrap its blanket Of peace around them.
What Is probably the longest win ever made
was admitted to probate IN England IN 1925.
It consisted Of approximately one hundred
thousand words and made four large and heavy
volumes when bound In leather. This was the
will of a Mrs. r. e. Cook, the widow Of a
wholesale dry goods merchant, and through It
she disposed Of property valued at approx
mately 100000 On the other hand, a win
probated In 1924 and written by one Elias
Meyers disposed Of an estate of $3.50 O00
with 125 words while back in the seventeenth
century Lord Chief Justice Mansfield Of Eng
land probably beat all records by distributing
more than $2,5o0,00o on a half sheet Of hand
written pocket note paper.
In the category of peculiar wills nothing is
more frequent than the innumerable instances
in which legacies have been granted for the
protection Of beloved pets. Lord Chesterfield.
"the first gentleman of Europe" by his viii in
1773 left q good sized sum for the support Of
his favorite cat. Mr.. James English q wealthy
farmer from Shelby County, Tennessee, was
another man who remembered his pet through
the following provision Of his will: MY heir
must keep the mule. Jenny, until she dies.
He must not ride her at night. must feed her
well and provide a good stable. He must not
work her in the daytime. bequeath $1,000
to him to pay for this
Another will in which pets were remembered
was one left by Mrs. II. White of London, which
led to q great deal of litigation. To one Of
her servants she left $125 O year in trust
for the maintenance of 6ve fayorite cats during
the course Of their natural lives; to st. George
and Middlesex Hospitals, 5000 each: Q few
laQacipS
estate, q very large one, to the apothecary who
had attended her. The will being disputed by
disappointed relatives, one lawyer appeared
for the cats, another for the apothecary and
the third for the next of kin. After much
struggling 1t was finally decreed: THAT the be-
quest to the apothecary be struck out as being
no part Of the real will Of the deceased, and
the probate be granted to the next Of kin; that
the legacies Of $l25 per annum for the main
tenance Of her i've cats and the requests to the
hospitals Of aforesaid be confirmed as being the
will Of the deceased"
A NUMBER Of testatorS prescribe original
forms Of burial for themselves. There Is.
for instance. the will of the golfer who asked
that his ashes be scattered under q beech tree
which he, while alive, had managed to hit
almost every time he went around on his
favorite links Quite number Of testators de-
sire to have their mortal ashes scattered to the
winds, while some desire that they be deposited
In the ocean and others In rivers. For strange
ceremonies the will Of John Knill OF 81. Ives
OF Cornwall leaves nothing to be desired, Tor
according to it q dance Is to be performed
around his grave every I'VE years. the dancers
to be ten girls not older than ten years and
accompanied by two widows not less than Sixty
four years old, while Q fiddler provides the
music. The dance over, the fiddler. the two
widows and the ten little girls sing song over