How to test people for strength if you have already died?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The holy fathers, to whom he bequeathed beer and gambling, fought in the courts for the right of inheritance.

Exactly 90 years ago, in October 1926, an incident occurred that entered the world's annals, regarded by contemporaries as the most cynical and senseless joke from the other world. Unexpected wills are a fairly common thing. But sometimes they simply surpass the most sophisticated fantasies, because their content defies any common sense. This is exactly this, devoid of any logic, a notarial letter that the Canadian jurist compiled Charles Millar … When the relatives gathered in the house, hoping to find out what share they were entitled to from the inheritance left by Charles, heard from the lawyer what was contained in the document, they fell into a state of shock. Of course, one could laugh at the content of the will if everything were not so serious. After all, it was written in full accordance with the letter of the law.

But he grew up an exemplary boy

Lawyer Charles Millar died suddenly right in his office in his office on October 31, 1926. However, not only his death became an unforeseen circumstance for his relatives, but also the will left by him, the content of which was publicly disclosed. After that, all the inhabitants of Toronto, the city in which the deceased lived, were "on their ears." Conversations were only about this inexplicable act of an entrepreneur and a lawyer. Some condemned him, others wondered why he did this, and still others simply joined the race for inheritance. But, one way or another, in the press this attack was defined as the most inexplicable rally of the century, while everyone understood the seriousness of the joke …

In the middle of the 19th century, a son was born into the family of a middle-class entrepreneur, who was given the name Charles. The child was distinguished by his great ingenuity, he was a round excellent student at school. When the time came to choose the path of life, Charles Vance Millar chose not to follow in his father's footsteps and instead of farming, which the latter was engaged in, he chose jurisprudence. After graduating from Millar University, he began a brilliant career in the Bar Association. Soon the man became one of the brightest representatives of his profession, and his services were in great demand. Things were going uphill, and Charles decided to develop further.

In addition to contract law, Millar became involved in commerce. He bought a shipping company that transported government papers. Then he expanded his activities, taking up the purchase of apartment buildings. Then he invested a share in the purchase of the ship and became the main shareholder of one of the beer companies. In addition, he actively placed successful bets on the races. In general, he was constantly lucky financially. And his main weakness was all sorts of jokes on colleagues and acquaintances. This concerned, for the most part, those who, in the opinion of the man, were distinguished by greed.

Horse racing and alcohol for the padre

It so happened that after his death, he cruelly made fun of them: when the will of the deceased lawyer was presented to the public, people began to actively discuss it. The media published articles that, they say, this whole "circus" was invented in order to show people that public morality is a hypocritical cover for human vices.

What happened? Charles Millar did not have heirs of the first order, and the lawyer and entrepreneur did not bequeathed a cent to his distant relatives. But for some reason, all representatives of the clergy of Windsor and some other areas of the county indicated in the will became the owners of shares in the racing society. It looked like a mockery, because the church and betting on the races are incompatible concepts.

However, the clergy did not renounce the inheritance. And this became the reason for public gossip and condemnation of the actions of the ministers of the church. And it looked like a mockery that the will of a stake in a beer factory looked like not to anyone, namely to those who were categorically against alcoholic beverages - Protestants, Catholics, parish ministers. And they, oddly enough, sought the possibility of obtaining their share even in court, litigating with the lawyer's heirs.

To a couple of his acquaintances, who were implacable antagonists of gambling, Charles also bequeathed shares of another company engaged in horse racing, on condition that these gentlemen accepted membership of this institution. And Millar's acquaintances willingly went against their principles, became members of this jockey club - the financial component of the issue prevailed over convictions.

The man left the luxurious villa to several employees of his company. These three people were acutely at odds with each other, and Millar, knowing this, wrote a condition in his will, according to which this property could be sold only after the last of those to whom it was bequeathed dies. Moreover, Charles left the money from the sale of the house to poor citizens.

True, all of the above was the innocent pampering of a tricky joker. The last paragraph of the will was distinguished by the special sophistication of the imagination of the master of the ambiguous rally. The last half a million dollars in Charles's will was due to that countrywoman who would manage to give birth to the largest number of babies. But the condition was that only one man should be the father of the children. A decade - such a period was determined in the will in order to have time to win this unusual reproductive race.

Women in labor at the start

Of course, there was a series of legal proceedings. The priests defended their right to receive part of the shares due to them, distant relatives tried to challenge the will and receive part of the wealth of a wealthy relative. However, Millar's legal knowledge reduced the efforts of all those who were to him, as they say, the seventh water on jelly, to zero.

Meanwhile, the first leaders began to emerge among women who accepted the challenge and decided to compete for a large sum. Those of them who were lucky enough to get twins, or even triplets at one time, automatically attracted the attention of the media, and they were talked about as potential contenders for victory in an unusual marathon.

Of course, all this abhorred the church, which actively convinced society that this race was immoral in nature. But how can women not be allowed to become mothers? Moreover, the main argument of the applicants for the inheritance was the receipt of their shares by those who sacrificed principles, morality and conscience for the sake of money, by the padres themselves.

And now the period stipulated in the will has passed, it is time to sum up the results. Of the applicants for half a million, there were also those who did not get the main prize. Yes, they managed to give birth to a record number of children in 10 years: one, Pauline Clarke, became a mother of nine children, and the other, Lillian Kenny, has acquired as many as twelve children during this period. But the first had children from different men, and the second, having lost several babies (5 out of 12 children she gave birth to, passed away), failed to bring the necessary evidence in court that at the time of birth her babies were alive. But still, both of these ladies got 25 thousand for two.

Four women from Toronto won the so-called "stork race". It was they who divided the $ 500,000 equally among themselves. The money was very helpful to them, because the controversial long-distance race fell on a time from 1926 to 1936, when there was the Great Depression, life was very difficult. It is difficult to imagine what it was like for those women who did not catch up with their competitors by only two or three children, because mothers had to raise seven or eight children without the expected financial resources.

One can only guess what was guided by Charles Millar, who came up with such an insidious will. But, one way or another, it is also surprising what simple human greed can reach …