Paris is greatly excited over a will case. Mr. Henry
Herbert Crawford, dying in 1897 at Nice, bequeathed a fortune of 24,000,000 in paper securities to a lady who is now Madame Humbert. Two American brothers named Crawford, however, protested, producing a will under which they inherited the money, subject to an annuity of 212,000 a year to Madame Humbert. The lady packed the securities in an iron box and defended her legacy in the Courts, where the litigants have accordingly spent large sums. Curiously enough, however, no one has ever seen these brothers, and one of Madame Humbert's creditors, suspecting fraud, demands that the box shall be opened and the securities valued by authority. A decree to that effect has been given, and the box is to be opened, unless, indeed, the creditor's claim, 25,200, is previously satisfied. Paris very naturally invents a hundred theories to explain the story, and is inclined to suspect an elaborate mystification, as Madame Humbert has raised large sums on the credit of her box.
Previous page
