SHORT WILLS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 215, 16 October 1909, Page 3

SHORT WILLS.

I There arc several parallel cases to j that of Mr. Vitcaini, formerly assistant to the president of the Pennsylvania Railway, who, it was recently reported, left a fortune of three millions sterling to his widow in a will which contained only twelve lines of typewriting. Three rears ago Mr. Alphonse Henry Strauss left a fortune of £200,221 in a will of forty-three words, bequeathing the whole of it to his wife. Thus the estate was disposed of at the rate of about £7OOO per word. Lord Mansfield found half a sheet of note-paper ample for the disposal of his worldly possessions. Sir .lames Fitzjames Stephens will hegan and ended in thirteen words. A dozen lines served to dispose of Lo-d Russell of Killowen's estate of nearly I £150,000; while Ixird liranipton, who I died two years ago, disposed of his es tate of nearly £142,000 in 400 words. The shortest will on record was tint of Mr. F. C. W. Thome, of Strcatham, who on the back of an old envelop.; wrote, "All for mother—C.T.," and thus disposed of his property, amounting to £8250. Another laconic will was that of Mr. Robert KJleston, who died in 11)07, and whose will ran thus: '4 leave all that I am possessed of to my sisters, Marian and Frances Edleston, in eqii'il shares''; an equally brief attestation clause reading, "Witnessed: in presence of each other," with the witnesses' signatures and date.

As a contrast, one might mention the will of the late Lord Grimthorpe, in the framing of which no fewer than 11,070 words were used; and that of Mr. Edward Bush, a retired Gloucester" engineer, who died last autumn worth £H4,S]:i, and disposed of it In a will containing 20,000 words. I