A CURIOUS WILL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 660, 6 January 1881, Page 2

A CURIOUS WILL.

Some few weeks ago.'.'a well-to-do -mer-chant-of Vienna, died, leaving tlie whole of hia property- away .from; his ; natural lieirsj and. to.tlig son of a retired Austrian general witft'wliom' lie had been- personally •unacquainted -during- his .life; upon the sola ground, duly set-forth in his .will, that-the .Christian name of. the young gentleman ih question was-idonfc calwith'hisown. When the .legatoe,■after proving the will, visited the "testa--tor's dwollin'g''a'ccompanie'd'-by.„a JegaL •official, in order to take possession of the •property bequeathed to him, hia attention was directed tp.afire-proof.s'nfe, as a likely repository of securities. Upon opening the safe, however; it was found to contain' nothing hut scraps of paper cut up very small with scissors, aud consisting chiefly of' old euvolopes'.' A further search through the rooms, however was rewarded, by tlie discovery of-'bunlMiwtes to the amount of forty thousand florins, crumpled up into -a ball, and hidden in a corner behind a Curtain,-Other twenty thousand florins were presently found in a photogiapluc album, containing two score portraits of pretty women in-fancy costumes. Behind each' one of these photographs were concealed bank-notes corresponding in value wit lit he deceased gent email's appreciation of .til e ladies' respective charms,, a fair beauty's attraction merits being appraised at -.'two' .thousand, florins, whilst, those of a-handsoine- brunette were ratod at three thousiind/.Tho notion of looking behind these portraits, .was - suggested by marginal note 3, appended to each on the pagea of tlie album in which they were inserted. These memoranda Indicated the intention of the deceased to make hia testamentary dispositions'in such'sort that each several charmer should inherit the sum.hidden away behind' her counterfeit presentment. Fortunately for liia heir, this eccentric project had never been advanced beyonds it valuation 6tage, 'arid .thus the prizes originally intended to be awarded to beiiuty ultimately fell.into the hands of an infantry lieutenant,