Star.
London, England, 1824-06-15 00:00:00

PREROGATIVE COURT, JUNE 14.

LOCKE V. BENNER.
Sir Joust NICHOL delivered his judgment in this
case. The deceased was formerly married to a person
named Clinch, who, as a coach-master, had amassed
considerable property, the whole of which, at his death,
he bequeathed to her. She resided many years at Farn-
ham, and was a very illiterate woman. In 1810 she
married the Rev. Dr. Locke, who was in embarrassed
circumstances, and who seemed, both at and after the
marriage, to have had no other object in view but the
possession of her money. She, however, had a mar-
riage settlement executed, by which all her property
was placed in the hands of trustees for her use, except
the sum of 3,0001. or 4,0001. which she gave to her hus-
band; thereby reserving the same power of disposing
of her property at her death as if she should die a
widow. Shortly after her marriage she made a will, by
which she devised all her property to her poet relations.
Oa the 13th June, 1811, she made another will, giving
5,0001. stock between her four brothers and two sisters,
and the interest of 6,5001. to her husband for life: by a
subsequent codicil, she revoked the bequest of the in-
terest of 6.5004 to her husband, and gave him in lieu a
legacy of 2,Q00/. In May, 1816, she executed a will of
quite a different character, giving Dr. Locke all her pro-
perty, and appointing him sole executor; on the 28th
May, 1819, she revoked the former wills and executed
another, by which her property went chiefly to her re-
lotions, as she did not seem desirous that her property
should go towards the support of a young wife, if ever
Dr. Loike should marry again; in this will Mr.Denner
was appointed executor, and in opposition to it Dr.
Locke put in a will, bearing date the 13th of June,
1819, the very day before the death of the deceased, in
which he is appointed sole exe:utor, with the whole of
the property, except a few trifling legacies to her rela-
tions. Now the question for the Cou►t to decide was,
as to the mode of procuring the latter document, which
was all written by Dr. Locke, and signed by three of
his servants, therefore a greater burden of proof was
necessarily thrown upon Dr. Locke, while the other
document of May, 1819, was signed by respectable and
disinterested persons. The Learned Judge read over a
great portion of the voluminous evidence, and com-
mented upon it as he proceeded. He observed, it was
clear that Mrs. Locke had been influenced to make
some of the will,; and that in one letter, written by her
direction (as she was unable to write) to her professional
adviser, alluding to the will in favour of her relations,
she begged him not to let Dr. Locke know she had exe-
cuted such a document, for if he knew of it, he would
compel her to make one more in his favour. It-also ap-
peared that the deceased was in a vet), low state from
the 4th of June, 1819, until her death ; and that her capa-
city was too much impaired to execute a testamentary
document only the day preceding her death. On the
whole, the Learned Judge observed, that he could not
help thinking that Dr. Locke had so contrived the trans-
action, as to give it every appearance of fraud ; he
therefore was bound to decree probate of the will of
May, 1819, to Mr. Denner, and to condemn Dr. Locke
in the costs of the suit.
INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT, JUNE 14.

John Hancock and Cornelius Hancock (brothers),
whose cases had been previously investigated by the
Court, and privately by the provisional assignee, were
brought up for judgment.
On the for aster hearing, Messrs. Aciot.rritis and D.
PoLLocx opposed the insolient at the instance of Messrs.
Brown and Company, Bankers, at Glastonbury, and
other creditors. It appeared then in evidence that the
insolvents had carried on the business of cheese-factors
in the vicinity of Wells, and since th-st time had been
speculators in London. They had contracted debts to a
considerable amount, and Brown and Company held
their bills for several hundred pounds. It was alleged
against them that the debts were contracted in great
part by means of false representations, and that they
had not rea,onable expectation of fulfilling the engage-
ments into which they entered.
The Report of Mr. Dance, the provisional assignee,
was now read, which was of an unfavourable com-
plexion. Among other things, it set forth that the an-
swers lbe insolvent, to interrogatories put, were
equivocal, contradictory, and unsatisfactory.
Messrs. ADOLPHUS and PoLLocic prayed the judg-
ment of the Court ; and Mr. HEATH was heard on be-
half of Cornelius Hancock; after which the Court re-
capitulated the evidence before it, and in strong terms
animadverted on the conduct of the insolvents, and sen-
tenced each of them to be confined within the walls of
their respective prisons for calendar months, from
the date of their petitions, at the suit of Messrs. Brown
and Reeves.

There were upwards of thirty plans submitted to the
Magistrates, on the last County day, for the proposed
female prison in Coldbath-fields. They have been di-
rected to remain for inspection till the next Sessions,
when it is supposed that the plan most approved of will
be ordered iintnediately to be carried into effect. In
the meanwhiie a boundary wall has been contracted for,
and is to be immediately erected vapid the county land
comprising the site of the intended new p; icon.
An inftknt, seven months old, being negl.:cted by its
nurse, last week cried itself to death ! in the palish of
Lyncombe and Wiiicombe.
Last week, Mr. PanKtxsoN, ironmonger, of Colne,
accompanied by three other young min, went into the
Leeds and Liverpool canal, near that place. Two of
them swam across the canal, and Mr. PARKINSON at-
temptnd to follow, hut when he got about the
he was observed to return into mute shallow water ; he
afterwards made a second attempt to swim across, but
not being a good swimmer, he became so fatigued, that
he kt his feet down to rest, and. the water being deep,
he was drowned.
It becomes our melancholy duty to record a very dis•
trt s,ing accident that occurred at Pondicherry, on Tues-
day last. A gunpowder manufactory esphded in the
Black Town, which destroyed many of the adjacent
lisyses, andl caused the loss of many lives. five•and-
twenty bushes had been dug out of the ruins, when our
correspon.ent dispatched his letter.—Madras Gazette,
January 10.