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A House Fit for a Cat

CHARLTON -- One of Charlton's most historic homesteads is owned by a cat named Teddy Bear.

When Dorothy Corbin died in 1996, she had a provision in her will that her pets -- at that time a horse, a dog and two cats -- be allowed to live out their days on her colonial property at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Packer Road about eight miles west of Ballston Spa. She left $500,000 in trust for their care, neighbor Deborah Herrin said.

But Buddy the horse, Bruno the dog and a cat named Willie have followed their doting owner to their great reward. This leaves Teddy Bear living in his house with a caretaker hired by Trustco Bank of Glenville.

Herrin said Teddy Bear has a special tattoo to prevent anyone from replacing him with a look-alike when he dies. But she's never seen her neighbor. She's just been told he is an inside cat and is about 10 years old now.

No one was home when a reporter from The Saratogian tried to meet Teddy Bear.

'It may seem kind of goofy to us,' town historian Laura Linder said. 'But these animals were important to these people, and they wanted to make sure they were taken care of.'

Corbin's husband was a General Electric Co. executive and left money to charities, including Union College, in his will, Herrin said.

But the situation leaves Herrin and others in town with a lot of questions. What becomes of the house and property when Teddy Bear dies? Will the barn, thought to be the oldest wood-framed structure in town, be preserved? What can be done about what they call the deteriorating condition of the house and buildings? Who is responsible for what Herrin says is a failing dam on the property that is draining a pond they share?

Herrin wants to bring those questions up to the Charlton Town Board at its monthly agenda session on April 26.

Charlton Supervisor Fred Acunto couldn't help but crack a smile at the mention of this feline homeowner. He said the town's attorney will review the situation and see what, if any, role the town should play.

'It sounds like a dispute between property owners,' Acunto said.

But as Deborah Herrin's husband, John, said: 'How do you have a property dispute with a cat?'

He said he's written to Trustco about the dam but hasn't gotten a satisfactory response.

The property is known as the Kirby house after Seth Kirby, a Revolutionary War veteran who bought the property in 1785. Kirby's son, Maj. Thomas Kirby, fought in the War of 1812 according to town histories. He left the farm to his son-in-law, Francis Danforth Curtis.

Curtis built the current house in the 1850s and, according to Herrin's research, converted Kirby's cottage to a barn, which still stands. Curtis was president of the county's Agricultural Society and ran the place as a model farm. He hosted other area farmers for a show-and-tell in 1868, which The Saratogian covered.

According to Dorothy Corbin's will, when Teddy Bear dies, the property is to be rented out on a year-by-year basis with the proceeds going to an animal welfare organization in Scotia. The land is to be a wildlife sanctuary with no public access.

But even Trustco doesn't know for sure what will happen.

'It's unknown at this point,' trust officer Craig Chenevert said. 'We will be getting advice from our lawyers.'

Chenevert said the cat is indeed alive. He referred other questions to Trustco Vice President Bob Leonard, who said he can't talk about the Corbin estate or Teddy Bear.

'It's a customer, and we can't talk about customers like that,' he said.

Herrin and Linder want to see if they can get the property on the National Register of Historic Places so the buildings aren't torn down when the cat dies. Linder said she would also like to see the property better cared for, noting the peeling paint on the house.

'It was always one of those places in town that you would drive past and say, 'I want to live there,' ' Linder said. 'The Corbins always took such good care of it. It's sad to see what's happened there now.'
© The Saratogian 2004

 Rooster 'owned' 68kg cocaine

A DEFENSE attorney whose client is facing cocaine charges has argued that the narcotics were actually in the possession of the suspect's rooster and two hens.

Prosecutors dismissed the claim as “absurd and impertinent.”

Police found 67.3kg of cocaine and a revolver hidden in a cage housing a fighting rooster and two hens in the parking lot of a cockfighting den controlled by Francisco Armando Rivera.

Rivera was arrested and charged with cocaine possession, but his lawyer, Manuel Urbina, said his client was never in possession of the narcotics.

“The drugs were in the possession of a rooster and two hens and the law is very clear that whoever is in possession of the drugs is the one who should be accused,” Urbina said.

Rivera has remained in prison while Judge Martha Lorena Martinez weighs the case against him. Urbina said that the prosecution must prove that the drugs actually belonged to his client.

“I'm going to order an inspection of this rooster and the two hens,” Rivera said.

In comments to reporters later, Attorney General Julio Centeno called the defence's case “an absurd joke.”

“I'm not going to comment further because we all know the only ones who can posses things are human beings,” he said.

The Associated Press

This Just In
Slave Lake,AB—New Act Appearing At "The Zoo"

Well the weather around here seems to be getting a decided blush of Summer and with it young men's thoughts turn to, what else, Rodeo!

In order to cash in on the Cowboy feel in the air the local watering hole affectionately know as "The Zoo" has hired at no great expense a rare and exciting new Artiste to add a few thrills for the lunchtime crowd.

Sophie "Baabs" Merino who hails originally from Wyoming and proudly says "I love cowboys and cowboys love me so y'all come on down.", will be appearing for the rest of this week only.

Too much time on his hands Department:Must be a cat lover

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This week in Entertainment

WOK, STOCK AND BARREL

A thief was stopped in his tracks by a chef who whacked him with wok.

The purse snatcher was fleeing a shop in Berlin when the cook stepped out with his culinary weapon.

Hai Nguyen saw the thief, grabbed his wok and stopped the crook in his tracks with a hit on the head.

The 40-year-old chef told German daily newspaper Bild his action was spontaneous.

The thief was arrested and taken to court where he was handed a two-year, nine-month prison sentence.

An onlooker said: "It was just stir crazy."