"THE OLD ARM CHAIR."

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7389, 15 February 1902, Page 3 (Supplement)

"THE OLD ARM CHAIR."

A NEW VERSION.

A penny novelette development has taken place in regard to the succession to the big Lathri&k estates in Fifeshire. Years ago a popular song concerned Granny's legacy of an " old arm chair " which the legatee discovered to be^ stuffed with Granny's savings. Something of the kind has happened in this case. In February last the owner of the Lathrisk estates, Mr George Johnstone, died intestate, leaving an immense fortune. Mr Johnstone for over thirty years had lived the life of a recluse, and had only at rare intervals been seen by his lawyers, while his mansion was attended by a deaf man and his wife. He never came out in daylight, and his midnight wanderings were subjects of mystery. An extraordinary keenness in business, however, was exhibited by his investments, which have since been valued at £850,000. There being no will the heritage, which was entailed, passed into the possession of Lieut. Makgill-Crich-ton-Maitland. A large number of relatives claimed on the movables, but a settlement was arrived with these claimants, and the action raised in the Scottish Courts abandoned, Lieut. Makgill- Crichton - Maitland, who had been serving in the Soudan, returning and entered on his estates. The fact that no will could be found was commented on at the time, because, though a hermit, Mr Johnstone had exhibited so much acumen in ttiS administration of his vast wealth that it was thought unlikely that he would die without leaving directions as to its disposal. A sensational turn to the romance was supplied a few days ago by the finding of a will made by Mr Johnstone in 1869. An oia dress was being taken to pieces when inside the lining the deed was discovered. The lady who first wore the dress in which the will was discovered has been dead for five-and-twenty years, the second owner is three years buried. We do not know yet the lady who finally decided to turn the dress, and it is not easy to conjecture why the eccentric millionaire should sew up his will in a woman's dress — unless, indeed, he hoped to stimulate the practice of home dressmaking.

The will, which is witnessed by a Leven solicitor, the parish minister of Ivennoway, and a carpenter on the estate, makes among others the following bequests : "To Miss Margaret Preston, lof Auchtermairnie Lodge, in the parish of Kennoway, County of Fife, the chest with money which my father intended to have given to Dr. George Forbes, Kennoway, County of Fife, but tof said money I direct her to pay the undermentioned sums free of legacy duty: to each maidservant £100, to each manservant £100, the Established Church of Scotland, for home mission purposes, £2,000, the ptoor living within a radius of ten miles of my estate £300, to my factor £1,000. To Miss Ann Prescott, whtom I most dearly love, I bequeath the half of my belongings. I further direct that in the event of those ladies predeceasing me their heirs and successors shall inherit all I intended for them, and I nominate, constitute, and appoint my factor to be the executor of this will, and hereby revoke all other wills and testaments made by me any time heretofore. I declare this to be my last will and testament, and in witness whereof I, the said George Johnstone, have to this last will and testament set my hand the eighteenth day of December, in the year of the Lord 1869." The legacy referred to in the first part tof the will bequeathing the money in a box, is understood to refer to a sum of £40,000 which was kept in Largo House. The money was suddenly withdrawn from the bank, and the demand, without notice, of such a sum in gtold almost brought about a panic. The £40,000 was probably kept as a safeguard against any commercial crisis. The will brings in a different set of claimants, all the blood relations having beefn settled with by the new laird of Lathrisk.

The discovery of Mr Johnstone's will sewn up in a lady's dress makes tone wonder whether a similar thing was done with that of Thomas Walker, of Belgriffen Park, Dublin. Probably no lost will ever caused a greater sensation. The testator died on March 26, 1817, worth about £250,000 — a considerable part lof which was bequeathed in the missing document to charitable purposes. Advertisements appeared in the Dublin papers of 1818, offering the sum of £10,000 for the production of the will, and a hint was conveyed that if it was kept back in view of reward ctommunications would be treated as strictly confidential. To this sum another £1,000 was offered by Mr Robert Webb, to whose family — as set forth by the testamentary papers for drawing up the will — money had been left. But despite the £11,000 reward, the will has never turned up.