“In the Name of god I Samull Eddinger
of Moore Township County of Northampton
State of Penn Do make this my Last will
and testament as follows
that is to Say my Disire
my son John he Shall have one
thousand Dollars in Advance before
any of the heirs Shall hav any money
from my Estate personal property
first my Son John Shall Settle up all
my Depts funeral Expace &c.
till all is paid
my Son John he shall setle
my personal property as soon
it is Posible
he shall pay the of the money from
my personal goods the half of
the money to my Daughter Margret and
what is Left from the Balence of
the Thousand Dollrs he tookt of for
himself
my Son John Shall pay to my
Daughter Margret an Annally one a
Hundred and twenty five Dollars for her
Natural Life time or as long she
will Liv in this World
and my Son John he shall have
all my Real Estate for his own
property as Soon my Daughter is Deased
my Son John Shall not pay any Longer
Not to her heirs and to nobody
it be Stopt.”

NUMBER THREE

The third runs as follows: “it to be understood that any of my grandchildren who shall be guilty of having an illegitimate child, or of the sin of intemperance, or that do wickedly and illegitimately profane God’s holy name, he, she, or they, to forever debar themselves from the benefit of any bequest,” and that the shares of offending ones should be divided amongst their brothers and sisters, “whose life and conversation is free from reproach.”

Claiming to be the Son of a King

One of the most singular cases that ever came before a court of justice was the dispute as to the validity of the will of the late Mr. W. R. Smee, probated in 1880 in England. That the testator was a man of exceptional ability is beyond doubt. His powers of organization were so good that he was employed by the Post Office authorities to readjust several departments which had got into a state of disorder. A pamphlet of his, on the question of the “Repeal of the Malt Duties,” attracted the attention of the acting Lord Chief Baron and Mr. Bass, who sought an interview with the writer; and after 1860 he wrote many able articles for various newspapers. At the same time, there is equally little doubt that Mr. Smee had insane delusions of the sort which most commonly afflict lunatics. He believed that he was a son of George IV, and rightful heir to the throne, and in 1859, before the composition of the articles just mentioned, he wrote a letter to the Prince Consort, enclosing a preposterous petition to the Queen on the subject of his “rights.” This absurd document stated that when out walking with his nurse he had been recognized by a crowd as the Prince of Wales, and escorted home amid loud hurrahs. The king had taken him on his royal knee, and said to him, “Poor boy, poor boy, get on with your learning. A great destiny is preparing for you, though you do not know it.” Every morning, he asserted, drugs were administered which took away his memory. The Duke of Wellington, disguised in a mechanic’s dress, followed him round Finsbury Circus; and, during his last illness, Mr. William Smee, senior, had said: “Extraordinary and unheard of means have been adopted to keep him down, or he must have come to the throne.” In his will the testator left his property to the corporation of Brighton, wishing to be associated with his supposed royal father as a benefactor to that town. As must have been generally expected, the Court pronounced against the will which benefited the popular seaside resort. “The fact that a man was capable of transacting business, to whatever extent that might go, however complicated the business might be, and however considerable the powers of intellect it might require, did not exclude the idea of his being of unsound mind,” the president stated in the course of his interesting judgment. “A man might be a good carpenter and follow his calling, and yet his mind might be tainted with insanity to such an extent that he might be held irresponsible for a crime on the ground that he did not know the nature of the act he committed. Therefore, all the arguments addressed to the jury on the subject of the testator’s capacity to deal with complex subjects, to write pamphlets, and to make calculations, had nothing to do with the question whether he was of unsound mind or not. He was admittedly of unsound mind, because shown by that which was the most conclusive symptom and evidence of unsoundness—namely, the presence of delusions—that was to say, ideas which they could not conceive any rational man entertaining.” These arguments do not tend to simplify the difficult duties of those who have the misfortune to be called upon to give advice in cases of mental disease.

A Word Left Out

Mary Richardson, who died on the 28th of May, 1874, made, by her will, numerous charitable bequests, amongst which was £500 to the “London Church Building Society.” There being no society in London bearing that title exactly, a petition was presented by the treasurers of the London Diocesan Church Building Society for the payment out of court of the bequest named. The Bishop of London’s fund likewise presented its claim; as also did the Incorporated Society for Promoting the Enlargement Building, and Repairing of Churches in England and Wales, the latter supposing that it most exactly answered the description of a London church building society. The Vice-Chancellor, however, Sir C. Hall, decided in favor of the London Diocesan Church Building Society, because the words used most nearly approached those of the title given by the testatrix.

An Enigma

WILL OF ROSINE BARROT

I give to my sister 20
”Jeanne10
”Pauline6
”Marie6
”Julie6
I give to Gustave6
”Eugénie7
”Annie14
75