OCR Text |
Show ' Jf WILL WRITTEN ON DOOR, . Strange Method ty Which Miner Left Last Instructions. There Is fortunately no provision In tho law as to tho exact nature of tho "parchment" on which a will should "bo written. It ban frequently happened hap-pened that property worth largo sums of money has beon distributed In accordance ac-cordance with tho wlsb of tho former owner as a result of directions left In tho most accidental manner Wills that have proved valid havo been found carved on tho trunk of trees, I - - - i scratched upon stones, written on tho soles of shoes. Ono of tho most remarkablo of theso freak wills was that scrawled on tho door of a miner's shanty In British Columbia. Thn accompanying illustration gtves tho ontlro will which, with tho signature, comprised only fourteen words. Tim Merrick, who willed his estito in .this highly original manner, was a miner living near tho town of Golden. Slnco his coming to tho district, In 1803, ho had worked steadily, and, it was supposed, with great success. Ono day, lnl88C. ho was found by ono of tho mounted police lying dead In his little cabin. Tho placo was searched for papers but nono of any special value wero found. Merrick's will was discovered, however, written with chalk on tho inside of tho door of tho cottage. It read: "Tho Stato may havo all they And. I've got no heirs." Tho authorities made a hasty Investigation Inves-tigation of tho premises, but without discovering anything, and tho sonrch, ns far as they-woro concerned, was abandohjJ. NojM'ork Horrid. 1 |