A CURIOUS WILL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3300, 19 August 1911, Page 3

A CURIOUS WILL.

MONEY FOR TEETOTALLERS AND NON-SMOKERS. A curious will lias been left by a wealthy lady, Mrs F ranees Somos, of St Andrew’s House. Parkstone, England, widow of Mr Joseph Somes, at one time M.P. for Hull. The estate is of the gross value of £101,146, of which the net personalty has been sworn ait £100,53 1. Mrs Somes states. “My funeral is to be as simple as possible—no mourning coaches. Ido not wish the light excluded from the house immediately after my decease. Our merciful Father gives us light to cheer us, and I think it a wrong custom to exclude it at the very time we ought to be asking for strength to enable us to submit to what must be a trial, even when we know it to be the better for the departed one.” she gave—“£4ooo to each of her nieces, Alice White and Edith Nichols, £IOOO of these bequests in each case being in memory of their devotion to their uncle on his deathbed and to me after his decease.” She also devised ‘•£d for each year of service to each of her servants.”

The residue of her property testatrix bequeathed—“ Such nephews and grand' nephews .and such of her late husband s nephews > add - grand-neplieiys' . whose named!are mentioned m her mil and ekek who may be total abstainers and non-smokers at the time or In,* death and shall have been such -for a period of twelve months prior to her deceased!. .directing that her •ire to he satisfied with a statutory declaration from each such nephew or great-nephew, as the case may be, that he has been a total abstainer from alcohol and tobacco for such period She expressed the hope that these nephews and great-nephews will at all times continue to so abstain.