Ancient, Curious, and Famous WillsHarris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
History
Ancient, Curious, and Famous Wills
Harris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
Wills
From some quarrel with his family he advertised for some widow or single
lady of good manners likely to bring him an heir in ---- months. This
treasure to his arms his valet brought by his desire to meet him at
Venice, from England; but as the ship of Wortley Montagu was entering
the Venetian lagunes, to wed the chaste bride on the following day, the
eager and expectant bridegroom swallowed too hastily a chicken bone,
which, sticking in his throat, suffocated him in a few minutes.
TO ENCOURAGE MATRIMONY AND HORSE-RACING
By a deed, dated 12th of August, 1801, executed in pursuance of a decree
in Chancery, relative to the will of John Perram of New Market, England,
dated 30th of May, 1772, the trustees of a sum of £410 6_s_. 2_d_. Three
Per Cent Consols and £21 Bank Long Annuities, being the original sum
given by the will, together with such accumulations thereon which had
accrued during the proceedings in Chancery, were declared; to hold them
upon trust, six weeks at least before Easter, to cause notice to be
given, as therein directed, that a marriage portion of £21 would be
given to a parishioner of the said parish, who should, on Thursday in
the Easter week, be married at the church to a woman belonging to it;
neither party to be under twenty, nor to exceed twenty-five years of
age, nor be worth £20; the trustees to attend in the vestry to receive
claims, and pay the bequest to such couples as should be qualified to
receive it. In case of two claims, the determination to be by ballot who
should receive it. In case of no claimants, then the money, for that
year only, to be paid by the trustees to the winner of the next town
horse-race; the race course at New Market is four miles long and is
regarded the finest in the world.
BEQUESTS OF THE HUMAN BRAIN
Both in France and the United States there exist medical societies which
make a special study of the human brain. In the United States a regular
blank form of testamentary bequest has been formulated, and the brains
of a number of prominent persons, particularly those of doctors, have
passed under its provisions; a form used is here given:
“I, ----, of ----, recognizing the need of studying the brains of educated
and orderly persons rather than those of the ignorant, criminal or
insane, in order to determine their weight, form, and fissural patterns,
the correlations with bodily and mental powers of various kinds and
degrees, and the influences of sex, age and inheritance, hereby declare
my wish, that at my death, my brain shall be entrusted to the Cornell
Brain Association, or to the Curator of the Collection of human brains,
in the Museum of Cornell University, for scientific uses, and for
preservation, as a whole or in part, as may be thought best. If my near
relatives, by blood or marriage, object seriously to the fulfilment of
this bequest, it shall be void. I earnestly hope that they may interpose
neither objection nor obstacle.
“----.
Date ----
Witnesses:
----
----”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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