Brigham Young's Will.
Brigham Young's will was read on the 4th inst. in the presence of all his wives and children and a few friends. Brig-ham Young, Jr., George Q. Cannon and Albert Carrington are named as his executors. The estate is largely real estate, and is probably worth 2,000,000. The will was made four years ago, and his youngest child, born of Mary Van Cott, was then three years old. Young was the father of fifty-six children, and left seventeen wives, sixteen sons and twenty-eight daughters. The will aims to make an equitable division of the property, between all the wives and children, with no preference to any. Most of them already have something deeded to them. On this a valuation was set, and it is to be charged to the recipients as a part of their share, though not necessarily at the valuation he put on it. That is to be equitably adjusted, when the estate is divided, upon the youngest child coming of age. Meanwhile the income is to go to the various mothers, according to the num-ber of their children, and they can with-hold the shares if the children behave badly. All are provided for as far as their present needs are concerned. His first wife and Amelia are given a life in-terest in Amelia Palace—a large, mod-ern, new, fine house; but he is known to have changed his mind about that, chiefly because they declined it, for rea-sons best known to themselves, although nothing in or out of the will has yet come to light showing it, and they are not otherwise provided for, except by their shares of income. Deceased held many interests in trust for the church and for individuals.
His executors are directed to turn them over. The church is forbidden by by law to hold more than $500,000 worth of property, and so it was largely held by Young in trust. His friends will not entertain the notion that he ever abused that trust.
There is no inventory of property on the estate and it is widely scattered. With the country prosperous and full of money, it would be worth twice the above valuation. Recently Brigham Young endowed an academy with lands at Provo, and another at Logan, the lat-ter with 12,000 acres. He had deter-mined to endow one at Salt Lake, but did not live long enough to do so.
A person present at the reading of the will says it seemed to be very satisfac-tory to all concerned. It will be probat-ed as soon as possible. It will be won-derful if some dissatisfaction does not creep in within the next 13 years.
