Animal Lover's Will is Cause of Trouble

1912

ANIMAL LOVER'S WILL IS CAUSE OF ROW

(Special to THE TRIBUNE by International News Service.)

PARIS, July 6.—When Mlle. Grandjean died three years ago at the age of 75, she left the bulk of her fortune, which amounted to $180,000, to the Paris Poor-Law Board, but she had not heart for her fellow creatures only. She was very fond of animals, too, and to her house near the Beaujon Hospital was attached a big yard, in which she kept about 150 birds of different kinds as well as half a dozen rabbits and seven horses.

The good old lady could not bear the idea that any of these animals should suffer by her death, so, to insure their being well cared for she committed them to the charge of the man who had been tending them, providing him with a liberal allowance to stimulate his zeal.

Thus she directed that, besides the enjoyment of an annuity of $500 he should receive $240 for the keep of the birds, $10 a month for that of each of the seven horses, and $2 a month for his attention to the comfort of a parrot which was a great pet.

Everything went on smoothly until lately, when the man who had been thus favored took legal action against the gentleman to whom the general use of all these animals has been bequeathed by Mile. Grandjean. He asks that this gentleman may be deprived of this enjoyment on the plea that he prevents him from doing his work as it ought be done. What the general use of the animals may consist of does not appear.

—Oakland Tribune, Oakland, California, July 7, 1912, page 2.