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The Woman Who Left A Fortune To Charity Provided A Doctor First Stab Her Through The Heart
An eccentric native of Pittsburgh left a surprising small fortune after her death with the condition that doctors make quite sure she was actually dead
Wills bequeathing possessions and final wishes aren’t always straight forward. Special requests and unknown information and assets can complicate matters. This was certainly the case in 1910 when an older woman believed to be a hermit of modest means passed away, but surprisingly left a huge fortune to charities provided that doctors first go through an intricate series of procedures to confirm she was in fact dead — including stabbing her through the heart with a dagger three times.
In January, 1910, Laura White was a 65-year-old spinster living by herself in meager conditions in Pittsburgh. Therefore, when she died, it came as a shock to authorities when they discovered financial documents and a will that showed she left behind an estate valued at around $100,000-$500,000 (worth somewhere between nearly $3.2 million and $16 million in modern value) that she had left entirely to local charities once a period of 10 years passed from her death.
