City and town life -- Fiction; Southern States -- Fiction; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- Fiction
"_Death of an Estimable Christian Woman._"
The obituary of Sarah Hayden Mosely followed below. This was so brief
that it might have been placed in capital letters on her tombstone
without crowding the margins. It appeared to have been written with the
circumspection of a person who desired his readers to understand that he
was in no way responsible for the deceased nor for her deeds. The title
was stereotyped. Every woman who died in Jordantown appeared in the
_Signal_ obituary tribute as "An Estimable Christian Woman."
It was at the next column that every man stared with amazement mixed
with fear and indignation. This contained "The Last Will and Testament
of Sarah Hayden Mosely," the title written in smaller, paler type. The
text of the will followed:
In the name of God, Amen.
I, Sarah Hayden Mosely, being weak in body but of sound and
perfect mind, do make this my last will and testament:
I give and dispose of my entire estate, real and personal, to a
self-perpetuating Board of Trust, the members of which are
hereinafter named.
The said estate shall no longer be known as the William J. Mosely
Estate, but it shall be called the Co-Citizens' Foundation Fund of
Jordan County.
This fund shall not be subject to liquidation, but the income
from it, or such part of it as is necessary, shall be spent each
year in the effort to obtain equal suffrage for the women of
Jordan County.
No part of the said income shall be spent for any other purpose
until the said women shall have the right to vote in all elections
held in the said county.
But after they have obtained the ballot, the said Board of Trust
shall found and maintain at the expense of this fund a department
of Common Law in the Jordantown Female Seminary. And all possible
efforts shall be made to establish here a school of law for the
women of this state where they may receive that legal training
which alone insures to women the proper knowledge and mental
discipline necessary for the preservation of their property and
their rights as citizens of this commonwealth.
This self-perpetuating Board of Trust shall consist of three
members, one man and two women.
Each shall receive a salary of twelve hundred dollars a year for
services rendered.
I appoint John Regis, Susan Walton, and Selah Adams members of
this self-perpetuating Board of Trust and executors of my will.
And they shall not give bond nor be held accountable to the court
for the manner in which they exercise these functions.
If any member or members of the said board appointed in this will
shall refuse to serve, the remaining members or member shall
choose and elect a suitable person or persons to fill each
vacancy.
No monument or stone shall mark my grave until the conditions of
this will have been fulfilled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account