The Sun.
London, England, 1836-12-16 00:00:00

PREROGATIVE COURT—DEc. 15.

WOOD ANA OTHERS V. GOODLAKE, HELPS, AND OTIIERS.
In this, which is a suit respecting. the will of the late
James Wood, Esq., the rich banker of Gloucester,. who
died on the 20th of April of the present year, of the age
of eighty years, the question came on this clay concerning
the admissibility of an allegation propounding a codicil,
which, it will be remembered, was sent through the me-
dium of the three-penny post to the residence of Thomas
Helps, Esq„ at Balliam-hill. The contents of this codicil
are as follows :

COPY OF A CODICIL ALLEGED TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN

BY TIIE LATE JAMES WOOD, ESQ.
In a codicil to my will I gave to the Corporaticn of
Gloucester the sum of 140,0001., and in this I now give
60,0001. more to my executors for the same purposes as I
have before mentioned. I also give to my friends—Mr.
Philpotts, the sum of 50,000/. ; Mr E. Council, mom.;
Mr. Thomas Helps, of Cheapside, ;30,000/. ; Mrs. Eliza
Goodlake and Mr. Thomas Wood, of Smith-street, Chel-
sea, each 20,000!. ; Samuel Wood, of Cleveland-street,
Mile End, 14,000/., and this gentleman's family, 6,000!. I
confirm also any 'other bequests which I . have made, and
give the rest to my executors for their own interests.
" JAMES WOOD.

" Gloucester City Old Bank, July, 1835."
It will be seen that. this codicil materially affects the in-
terests of Mr. Helps, on whose behalf the allegation was
now offered. The property of the deceased amounted in
real property to 10,0001. per annum, and in personal to up-
wards of 1,000,0001. The suit is very heavy and of im-
mense length, and in order to prevent . confusion,
The Learned JUDGE inquired who were the Counsel,
and for whose interests they appeared ; when it was dis-
covered that there were five different parties in the litiga-
tion, and the following Counsel were engaged on their behalf.
The King's Advocate, assisted by Drs. Lushington and
Adams, for the executors, Alderman Wood, Mr. Chad-
well, Mr: Sermen, and another person, whose name we for-
get ; Doctors Burnaby and Nicholls for Mr. Helps ; Drs.
Phillimore and Haggard for Mrs. Goodlake ; Dr. Curtis
for Mr. G. Hutchins, a party benefitted by the original
will ; and Dr. Robinson for Mr. Philpotts.
The KING'S ADVOCATE, the Leading Counsel for the
executors, opposed this allegation. He would call the at-
tention of the Court to the facts, which were of the most
extraordinary nature, concerning the codicil. Everything
connected with it was of the most suspicious nature ; the
condition in which it was ; the contents :of it, and " last,
but not least," surprising was how it found its way to the
possessor. First then, he would direct the Court to the
condition in which it was ; torn in two distinct places ; and,
what was very singular, one of the rents divided, and nearly
obliterated, the Christian and surname of the signature,
" James .Wood,"..the alleged writer of this codicil. An-
other injury which this unfortunate manuscript had received
was that it had been burned. The contents also of th:s pa-
per are sin p ising, for it is not very probable tha t a person
of the disposition which Mr. Wood notoriously was, sLould,
beside the already munificent bequest of 140,0001., which
he had left to the corporation of Gloucester, give an ad-
ditional present of 60,0001. ; next, it had been suggested
to him (the Learned Advocate) that no wonder Mr.
Wood had been so bountiful to that corporation', for
it purchased for its use from Mr. Wood's shop all the artieles
which they required, and which he was usually in the habit
of selling. 'This the Learned Counsel thought a truly
cogent reason—that because a body of men had purchased
goods to the amount of about W. or 121. per annum, it
should be a natural sequitur that he in his will should leave
bequests to the amount 000,000/ Another thing which
must present itself' to the view of the Court is the fact—
how this paper reached the hands of Mr. Helps Why,
through the medium of the threepenny post ; perhaps the
only method by which the person sending it would be safe
from detection, and to it were attached some pencil marks.

DIED. 0'
On the Bth' inst., at Camden-terrace, Camden-town, aged
Mrs. Abbot, wife of Mr., Abbot.
On the 13th inst., at Bromptom, aged 34, Captaid John
late Stithe
11th Regiment in . eh
(hi thst., at Sunbury, Middlesex, aged 75, Mrs. Chau
widow of Lieut.-Col. Chauvel, late of Walton-bridge, Shepper(c elTe'
t
On the 12th inst., in Caflogan-place, aged 5, Alicia Ellen, t
daughter of Major Blood, 68th Light Infantry.
On the 22d ult , in Dublin, Anne Elizabeth, daughter of COI'
Raw nsley, R.N. jobil
.
On the 13th inst ,in Vineyard-walk, Clerkenwell, Mr.
Neville, aged 78.
•On the 13th inst., at Kennington-terrace, Abigail, daughter °I
T. Mackenzie,Esq.,of the Customs. oia
On the 13th iist.
,aged9o, Mr. T. Thos. Courtney, of the
Jewry. A Luny
On the 11th inst., at Woodbine Cottage, Holloway, France
bert, wife of R. Mudd, Esq.

don : Printcd a-r—ni—Published by AIURDO YOUNG, of
Lon
112, Strand, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the county'
of Middlesex.—Friday, December 16, 1836.