The Surrogate's Court

New York, 1895

Wills Proved and Accountings Progressed — To-day's Calendar.

Surrogate Weller has rendered a decision refusing to admit to probate the will of Frederick W. Nolte, who died at Corona last spring leaving an estate valued at $15,000 to his widow. He had been married three times and was living with his third wife at the time of his death. He had children by his first and second wives, but none by the third.

The testimony in the case showed that two hours before his death his wife sent for a lawyer and witnesses and that a will was executed by which she was to receive everything. The children were cut off without a cent, although many witnesses testified that earlier on the day of his death Nolte had said he would not make a will, as his children were equally dear to him, and he wished them to share alike.

Surrogate Weller on Friday admitted to probate the wills of Theresa Rosner, Maria Rushmore, Willet Raynor, and Mathew Burke, A decree was entered in the administration case of Anna C. West.

To-day's calendar — Will cases of Jane Canning, Christina Haffner, George Bohlig and Ebenezer Kellum; accounting estates of Catharine Repper and James Sinclair; administration case Tunis Bergen; matter estate of John Mead.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, N.Y., Jan. 18, 1895, unknown page number.

Makes Odd Funeral Request

1916

Wealthy Man's Ashes Buried With His Two Wives.

WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania — James S. Stocking, 77 years old, former legislator, county clerk of courts, Civil War veteran and one of the wealthiest men of this city, was buried under the provisions of his will, which are extremely unusual. The portion of his will relating to his burial follows:

"I direct that my body shall be cremated, and no religious services shall be held on my body, ashes or grave. I direct that my ashes shall be divided in two parts and placed in two strong and air and water tight urns, one to be buried in my first wife's grave and the other in the grave of my second wife."

—The Saturday Blade, Chicago, Sept. 16, 1916, p. 11.

Will Leaves Working Girl $90,000 to Repay Debt of Kindness

1920

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., Feb. 26. — Gentle, kindly ways — human sympathy and the power to radiate the joy of life — seldom bring their just returns on the money market.

But these precious qualities were recognized to the extent of $90,000 in the will of the late Lucien Guilbert, pioneer lumber man of Yreka, who died recently.

As a result, Miss Caroline O. Koester, chief clerk of the field division of the Federal General Land Office in this city, and her mother, Mrs. Katherine Koester of Alameda, are wealthy.

"The large legacy came as a great surprise to mother and myself," said Miss Koester, when seen at her Alameda home, following a decision of the Third District Court of Appeals, which awarded them the bulk of the Guilbert estate.

"We were kind to Mr. Guilbert's sister during her long illness at Yreka, and she always considered our home her home. We simply did what we considered our duty as friends, and had no idea that we were going to be so richly rewarded. Mr. Guilbert, of course, often spoke of our kindliness and real helpfulness to his sister, and seemed to appreciate it deeply."

"Shall I continue to work at the land office? Why, of course. I have always worked, and I don't see why this money should change my life in any way."

The Guilbert will was the subject of bitter contest, waged by the four children of Guilbert's half-brother, who were each left $500 bequests. They alleged that he was incapable of disposing of his property when the will was made. The half-brother, Louis B. Guilbert, of Manteca, was left $5,000.

Other bequests of the will included several $500 gifts to friends of Yreka, $250 to a church and $500 each to two other children of Mrs. Katherine Koester — Edward Koester, of McCloud, and Fred Koester, of the United States Army.

Chorus Girls Quit Stage for Factory

1920

Higher Pay in Shops Overcomes Lure of Footlights

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Theatrical managers and producers are becoming alarmed at the shortage of chorus girls — and to think that there used to be so many of them the producer had to hide himself to keep from being overwhelmed with applications! This is the word that New York is casting abroad.

In the good days gone, it said, the chorus girls received larger pay than they could get in the shops or factories or offices. Besides, there was the lure since the pay of women in business is so much more than it is upon the stage.

It is said that the shops of New York, and even the factories, pay much better wages than is possible with the theaters. As one observer puts it, "Better money can be obtained in the shops, in the canning factories, in the laundries, than upon the stage."


Shonts' Will Makes Wife Chief Heiress

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Mrs. Milla D. Shonts, widow of the former president of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, who was cut off in her husband's will with a picture and a small bequest, has filed for probate another will made in 1905.

This will gives $5,000 each to Drake University and Monmouth College, Iowa; $100,000 to Mrs. Shonts and minor gifts to the relatives.

The remainder is to be shared equally by Mrs. Shonts and the two daughters.

Jazz Music Not a Nuisance

Feb. 1920

Los Angeles County Judge Refuses to Give Relief to Disturbed Nerves

Los Angeles, Cal. — Jazz music is not a nuisance, according to a decision by Judge Lewis R. Works, in the Los Angeles county superior court. The city of Pasadena had brought suit against a social club, whose neighbors complained its jazz music "jarred on their nerves."

"Once jazz music might have been construed as a nuisance," Judge Works said. "It is no longer so construed. If the music disturbed the residents of the neighborhood, I am sorry, but this court cannot give them relief."


Wealthy Pauper

In a cheap lodging house in William street, New York, an aged man died, leaving a will showing that he was wealthy enough to live in a brownstone mansion in Fifth avenue. He was Edward Campion, aged sixty-five. Why he chose the habitat of the "down-and-outer" may remain a mystery. The house is one of those where the unfortunate can get "bath and bed" for 15 or 25 cents.

In his will, Campion disposes of several valuable parcels of Manhattan property, as well as real estate in other sections, in addition to considerable cash, to two daughters and three sons.

Wife of Mexican Millionaire's Curious Hiding Place for Money

1915

Really Odd "Savings Bank"

With the coming of the pay envelope for women has developed the evolution of the broken-nosed teapot as a savings bank. Many and varied are the methods women have worked out to save money, although it is only within the last fifty years that the average woman has had to consider the problem individually. With their "going to business," however, questions of finance and investment have come to them.

Many amusing incidents of the broken-nosed teapot as a savings bank have come to light. There is a story of Pedro Alvaredo, the peon millionaire of Parral, Mexico, whose mines yielded silver so fast that he could not spend it, though he bought pianos and ponies by the carload, and all the metal work in the palace that stood where his old adobe hut had once been built was of silver.

Alvaredo had no faith in banks and kept great quantities of cash in his house. Naturally, much of this came into the hands of Senora Alvaredo. The senora had a special bed quilt which always covered her at night and was never far away in the day time. When the senora died her maid went to Alvaredo and asked for the quilt. But Alvaredo was superstitious and disliked to give away anything to which his wife had been so much attached. He offered the woman money instead and, though dollars were no longer flowing in at the rate of 30,000 a day, he was generous in the matter. But the girl insisted that she would have no memorial of her mistress but the quilt.

Finally Alvaredo's suspicions were thoroughly aroused and he ripped the quilt to pieces. It contained $30,000 in $1,000 pieces. Among them was a letter from the senora saying that she had saved the money for her two sons and directed that it be put in the bank to their credit. And now the young men are being educated in an American college upon the interest of their mother's savings. — From the Business Woman's Magazine.

Words of Wise Men

1921

Diffused knowledge immortalizes itself.

A little commendation goes a long way.

Ambition to merit praise fortifies our virtue.

He who does what he can has done what he ought.

The strength of will is the test of a young man's possibilities.

Truth is a mighty instrument, whatsoever hand may wield it.

All the best men have been best because they possessed "ideals."

The thought that conquers the world not contemplative but active.

Some doubts are as generous and passionate as the very noblest conditions.

Every noble life leaves the fiber of it interwoven with the work of the world.

To strive with difficulties and to conquer them is the highest human triumph.

Some Queer Wills — "I Bequeath Eternal Damnation"

Some Queer Wills

1889

Extraordinary Documents Copied from South Carolina Court Records

In overhauling some of the old books in the records of the probate court, Judge Gleason has, according to the Charleston News and Courier, come across some queer documents. Here are some of them:

A man, who has been dead so long that he shall be nameless, was hanged in Charleston for murder. He protested his innocence to the last, and the day before his execution made a will leaving his personal property, valued at $439 in money, and a silver watch and chain to his relative. The last clause of the will is as follows:

"As I am to be hung to-morrow for the murder of ——, of which crime I am innocent, and firmly believing that I was found guilty by a packed jury, I bequeath to this jury eternal damnation, and in order that their names may be known to posterity I herein insert their names,——, foreman, and eleven others. I order and direct that my executor hereinafter named shall deliver my body to the medical students of Charleston, S. C., and they are requested to have my bones properly cleaned, my skeleton properly mounted, so that it will pass down as a proof of the bribery and corruption used in the conviction of an innocent man."

Another man, long since deceased, and who was evidently a wealthy Frenchman, after disposing of his estate, provides for an erring daughter as follows:

"It is to me a great cause of mortification and regret to mention the name of Clotilde, my daughter, now twenty-three years old. To protect this instrument I bequeath to her one barleycorn. I pray she will repent and prepare for the Lord's forgiveness."

Another man, who was a widower, and had an only daughter who seems to have been the cause of much trouble to her father, disposes of his estate and gives to his daughter "My blood horse, Jim, feeling satisfied that if she will either ride or drive him it is likely she will be brought home a corpse, in which satisfactory event then let the horse be sold and the proceeds given to the poor."