The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-01-16
ECCENTRIC CHARACTER.


the general color of the islanders.
ECCENTRIC CHARACTER.
The last Cheraw Is CO Spectator reports a
case lately determined in the Court of Common
Pleas, Marlborough District, Judge Waties
presiding the Testimony in which, the editor
remarks, presented very extraordinary features,
and disclosed scene of human cccentricity
very rarely equalled The parties were B.
Virgins ct al. as the Executors Of Mason Lee
Charleston Observer.
1t was an appeal from the Court of Ordi-
nary of Marlborough district to reverse the
decision of that court, establishing the Will
of the deceased. The appellants were heirs
at law of Mason Lee, who died six years
since, leaving an estate of about sixty
thousand dollars to the States of S. Carroll
Da and Tennessee.
The ground taken by the appellants for
avoiding this instrument, was the insanity
of the testator or in a more solemn tech
nicality of the law, the heirs commended
that he was of non 'disposing mind, mem
DRY and understanding , and though they
failed to convince very intelligent jury of
this fact, they exhibited complete history
of mental singularitles, and bodily priva-
tions on the part of Lee.
Lee was originally from North Carolina,
settled afterwards in Georgia. from which
state he was forced to flee in consequence
of his having killed one of his female
slaves, and seated himself finally upon
plantation of the Pedee. =
1t was to this portion of his life, that the
testimony was principally confined, and
never was more misery one exhibited.
q in bohI tofi nh lE
than any OF those occupied by his negroes,
eat his scanty meals of hoe cake and bacon
upon a box which served it seems, the
double purpose of holding the pot to cook
in, and table from which to eat it; his table
furniture was in about the same style of
magnifcence, consisting of one spoon, one
fork IA crotched Stick and one knife,
which latter utensil also did duty in his
pocket as a tobacco cutter, &c. the spoon
was well enough in its way, but had its
handle iron, in order, as Lee sagaciously
observed, to keep off witches. His room
and every thing about him, was filthy in
the extreme. His wardrobe was in exact
keeping with his other sublunary comforts !;
consisting of the very coarsest materials,
cut and made by himself in fashion that
set all resemblance to any thing on earth
or in the waters at defiance His hat crown
was perforated with holes Oil everv side, in
order, as he expressed it, that if the devil
should enter his head on the one side, he
might have passage out at the other. His
head was kept close shaved so as to make
his wits glib he said. His bed was in
gum log, and into this very primitive lodg-
ing would he crawl, and doze away his
time by day, and spend the night in tight
ing devils, and hobgobling adyersaries that
were constantly about him; to meet which
upon fair terms a neighboring blacksmith
run up pretty respectable bill in fabricat
ing swords, made to different patterns fur
nished by Lee himself.
Lee was devout believer in witchcraft,
and entertained the ideas, that every thing
about him was goomered. Under the idea
that his teeth were goomered, 1--WE are not
certain that we get the word right, but we
so understood its pronunciation in COURT he
had twelve sound teeth drawn at one time.
The Devil or the Wigginses, which he
seemed to think members of the same fam
lily, had got into his grinders, and dental
abstraction was Immediately determined
on. In short, Mason Lee was the oldest
fish we ever heard or read of since the
celebrated Caliban. He entertained the
most outrageous aversion to women, and
actually hired out prime female slave at
twelve and half cents year, as proof
of his hatred to the sex. And still, Mason
Lee was the reputed father of twin sons ;
one ofwhom he acknowledged, but dlsclaim-
ed all paternity for the other. The son
whom he recognized, was in court, and tes-
titled in the case. He was respectable
and rather interesting young man.
Notwithstanding all these peculiarities
of Mason Lee, he was proved to be so far
as it regards the accumulation of property
and upon all other points, saving the single
point Of faith in witcbcraft and other su-
pernatural agencies, shrewd and sensible
man, and wen capacitated not only to ac-
quire property but to dispose of it, and the
jury lin our opinion most correctly estab-
lished the validity of the Win. The tesla
tor made an injudicious bequest we have
no doubt; for he gave his property, where
he will never be thanked for it, and where
1t will do no perceptibe good and in the
case OF Tennessee in particular, there was
no assignable motive for the benefaction
since he had never resided in the State, he
had no relatives there, and was so utterly
devoid OF any acquaintance with its citi-
zens, that in choosing an executor, he could
not individuate, but was obliged to name
t"the best Baptist minister in the State"