Only the Provisions of the Will Which Relate to Public Affairs Made Known as Yet.
The public bequests of the late Silas L. Griffith were promulgated through the daily papers the early part of this week, but all efforts to learn anything relative to the private benefactions of the will have only met with discouragement from the executors. While it may appear to some to be somewhat peculiar to withhold the provisions of the will of so prominent a person as Mr. Griffith was, it is perfectly proper that such be done, and the executors in this case no doubt have good reasons for doing so at this time—and the will itself may provide for the doing of it.
On account of a shortage of help in the MIRROR office this week we shall state as briefly as possible the facts that have been made public, which are as follows:
Of the several funds hereafter to be mentioned, the executor’s of the will, Messrs. Wilber H. Griffith and George L. Rice, are in each case named as custodians.
Fifty-one thousand dollars is bequeathed for the erection and maintenance of a library building in this village and the supplying of it with books and periodicals; $14,000 of the sum to be used in the erection and furnishing of the building, which is to be erected on the so-called Young lot, now partially occupied by the barber shop, just north of the Griffith family homestead, and which lot is also bequeathed for that purpose, and $5,000 in the purchase of books, the remaining $32,000 to be used in the general maintenance of the library and supplying it with additional books and periodicals. The general care and management of the library and expenditure of the income of the perpetual fund is placed hi the hands of a committee consisting of Mrs. Katie T. Griffith, the pastor of the Congregational Church in this village, and Mr. W. H. Griffith.
The income of $5,000 is bequeathed to the Danby Cemetery Association, to be used in improving and beautifying the cemetery; but in order to receive the benefit of this bequest the cemetery association muse raise a sum equal to one-third of the bequeathed fund and place it in trust to be used for the same purposes; or they may raise each year a sum equal to at least one-third of the income of the $5,000—failure to comply with one of which for one year annuls the bequest. The will also conveys to the cemetery association: the testator’s interest in the adjoining property, owned jointly by himself and the late George Hadwen, conditional that the association acquire the interest of the latter and use it for a home for the caretaker of the cemetery.
A fund of $6,000 is also created, the income of which is to be used for the improvement of Mr. Griffith’s family lot in the cemetery before mentioned, and nearby lots belonging to him.
The income of $23,500 is given to the Congregational Church in this village —the income of $16,000 for the salary of the pastor, that of $6,000 for heating, lighting, painting and repairing the church, and of the remaining $1,500 for the purchase of books and periodicals for the church and Sunday School. This legacy is conditional upon the maintenance of Congregational preaching, failure to do so for a specified time lapsing the bequest.
The income of $2,500 is to be used each year for the purchase of Christmas gifts for the children of Danby, Mount Tabor and vicinity, to be distributed from a Christmas tree in the Congregational Church in this village.
The income of $2,000 is to be used in providing the children of Danby, Mount Tabor and vicinity with shoes, clothing and other needed articles at Christmas time.
If after payment of the previously mentioned bequests there still remains in the residuary of the estate the Sum of $15,000, the income of such an amount is bequeathed for the support of the schools of Danby and Mount Tabor.
Of course, it is not known what the estate will realize, or the amount of the personal bequests; but a gentleman who probably knows as much about the provisions of the will as anyone except the executors and principal legatees, stated that the estate would need to realize about $450,000 to provide for the legacies. Additional facts may be given to the public later on.