Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-02-07

OF his having kl.ich one C' HtS 4cila't SAWS ,,
and lated !.imseii finally upon plantation oil
the Pecee
twas 10 this por,,onof his life hat the tes-
,iinony was principally confined, and never
was a more miscrly one exhibited He lived
in babita,ion abundantly worse than any Of
those occupied by his negroes, eat his scan'y
meals of hoe cake and bat on upon box, whit II
served il seems the double purposes OF E6idins
the DO, &c cook in, & table from which to eat II;
his table furniture was in about the same style
Of magnihcence, consisting of one spoon, one
fork IA croched stick, aud one knife, which
latter utensil also did duty in his pocket as IN
tobacco cutter, sc; the spoon was well enough
in its way but had its handle Of iron, in order,
as Lee sagsciously observed 20 keep Of witch
es. His room and every tn ing abou him, was
filthy in the extreme. His wardrobe was IN
exact keeping with his other subu nary COM
forts, consisting Of The very coarSest mater'-
ais, 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 on every side in order as
he expressed it, that if the devil should enter
his head on the one side, he might have
passage out al the other His head was Kept
close shaved SO as TO make his wits GLIB, ne
said His bed vas in, gum log, and INTO THIS
very primitive lodging would he crawl, and
doze away his time by day, and sncnd the
night in fighting, drvilsS< hobgob in dversaries
that were constantly about him: TO meet which
upon fair terms, neighboring blacksmith run
M pretty respectable bill in fahrica,ins
swords, made 10 different patterns furnished by
LIE himself
Lee wa. a dev out believer in wi,cherait and
entertained the idea 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
pronoun,iaton in court he had twelve sound
teeth drawn at one time. The Devil or the
Wiggnses, which he seemed TO think members
Of The me family, had got into his grinders
and dental absra, ton was Immediately deter
mined on. In shor' Mason Lee was the oldest
fish We ever heard or read OF since the cleebra-
ted Caliban. He entertained decided aversion
10 women, and actually hired oul prime te>
male slave at twelve and half cents a year;
as proof Of his hatred to t,e sex. And still
u Lee vas the reputeI IA her Of twin SOUS,
one of whom he acknowledged, but disCiaim-
ed all paternity for the other. The son wHom
he recognized, was in court. And testified in
the cas-. He was respec table and rather in
:errs,ing young man.
NolWi'hS' anulnE all thcSe pc uilariteS OF
Mason Lee, he Was proved 10 be so far as it
regards the accumu. ton Of property and up
OIL. all other points, saving the single poiat OF
faith in wi,cherafl and other supernatural
agencies, a shrewd and sensible man, and well
capacitated no, only TO acquire property but 20
dispose Of it, aud the jury lin our opinion most
correctly established the validity OF the Will.
The testa,or made an in udlcious beques, we
have no d uhl; for he gave; his property, where
he will never be thanked for il, and, where j,
will do no percep'bIe good, ard in the case of
Tennessee in particular, there W no assigna>
bic motive for ,he benefaction; since h had
never resided in tie Stale; he had no rela-
ti,es there, and was so utterly devoid OF any
acquaintance with its citizens, that in choos-
ing an executor he could not i0divduate
but was obliged to name "thc best Baptist
minister in the State"