Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1835-10-12
LEG Al.
WILL OF JOHN RANDOLPH


WILL OF JOHN RANDOLPH
or Ro,>okr.
John {. Bryan, nm infant, by John Coaltcr, his
ncN friend, pltt., vs.. William Meade and Fred
crck Ilobson, Committee of ST. George Ran
dolphi a person Of nnsound mind. dts.
JUDGE LEIGIrS TESTIMONY
CONTINUED.
never made any contract with him 10 act II,
his agent, nor did ever receive any compensation
ior 50 acting unless II was in the services of his
slaves as hereafter mentioned, Immediately after
DIR. Dudley left him. he begun 10 write 10 me 10 do
particular pieces of business for him. In 1922,
when he went to England, | did look after his bu-
Sincss generally, and ! continued to do until af-
ter his return rom the Russia mission, w"nr,rr
he was absent from the State. Whenever he was
nj home, my attention To his business ceased. /
did nothing unless in cases where was particular.
" requested. In 1922, or 1923, | think, pur-
chased p ,ntation, but had NOT ncrroe. 10 work
il, and il WIS my intention To rent it oni fnr the
next year When | next saw him Qic had heard
Of my intention to remit he proposed to me cithc,
TO rent the plantation himself, To hire me ne
erocS OF 10 furnish negroes that we should work
il together. told him that could not hire ne
erocS, a> was determined to contract no debt ut-
til had paid for the land, but that he might take it
upon rent, or would work il together He said
" tlcn We will work ii together"
In the beginning of the ncN year, he sent To my
hand SIX men and boys, SIN women with then fam
llies of children, ) or d horses oven and an GA cart
and tools for the hand, to work with. No contract
WAS made rs TO the proportions which we should
have of the crops. The negroes, with two others
which he sent two three years after, without
even mentioning the subject 10 mc---continncd ON
my plantation until after his return from Europe in
1881. | received all the proceed, of the panta-
ton. The ilrst year alter the crop was sold, went
10 HIM and proposed 10 div idc the proceeds. He
refused to TAX any part This did the ncat wear
and for two or three years after, when he always
refused to take any pat of the sales Of the crops,
and came 10 the opinion, which still entertain.
that he intended that should have the use of his
negroes rs compensation for my attention to his
business. On the third Of Dcccmbcr when next
went to see him. | carried all the accounts with
my vouchers. lie asked me how the accounts
stood. told him there balance in my ia
vor three thousand two three hundred dollars
Il told linn the precise sum, and | am stating
now the balance according to my prcscnt recolIcc-
ton ott,) bat that he had not been credited by the
hires OF his negroes lie said they had not been
worth more than the balance against him | told
him thought they were, but how much | could
not say. lie then said let MS pass mutual disclarg
Is. And without looking To the accounts Al ALL he
Immediately wrote and executed to me a general
release, and executed to him the acknowledgement
in his book produced in Court by Mr. Caldwell.
The release written by MIR. Il. Is as well written
a paper OF the sort, IN my opinion, as could he
written by any lawyer, and the only sneularitv IL
bout il, is that the seal is made with way with an
impression on it made with his seal When he
was about to ailix his seal, | told him wax seal
was unnecessary. He said he knew il, but he
would use wax-for such was the practice of the
English nobility. There was nobody present
when this was done lie said that | ought not 10
carry the release away until il was witnessed by
r. llundey. In the morning, IN the hearing Of
Mr., llundley, he had dictated letter to Mr.. Mar
shall, which | wrote for him-pivinr Mr. NJ "A
statement ollhc evidence on which he had relied
10 convict Craddock. And he said tina, an opin-
ion prevailed that he WIS lunaic, but that letter
would prove Inn competent TO execute the release,
and therefore llundley who heard him dictate the
letter must witness ii. And he wrote ON the re
lease with pencil, nearly if not these very words,
=" Dear Leigh, Do not take away TIN, release un-
nj it shall have been witnessed by +. llundlcy
who heard me dictate my Letter of tins morning to
Marshall In the evening, think, after it was
dark, Inc sent, by one of his servants, the release
10 Mr.. llundlcy with note Informing Inn that he
had executed and requesting him to witness it..
The release came back witnessed by lIundlcy,
and he again delivered il to me, and appeared to
be well satisfied. | do not think that saw him
again until delivered him the will brought TO me-
by Mr.. Alexander, in 1922 | came to the Gc-
neral Court which, for that term commenced on
The 18th OF December, in the stage which passed
by house in which some of Mr.. RS negroes
lived. | left with them some things, and a letter
for him. At Charlotte Court House, after | was
III bed and asleep, John came with letter TO me
from Mr. Randolph, in which he expressed his
surprise that | was travelling in the stage in such
cold weather, and offered and insisted that should
take his carriage, and thAt he had ordered one Of
his servants to have il at Charlotte Court House
early next morning. In the same letter, HI, said
he would never cross StaunOn again TO visit me
that he could not, and il he conll, lac would not
that must not call on him on my return from
Richmond that he did not wish to see me that
Mr.. NJ. had promised to visit him after his return
from Campbell Court, but he did not wish to see
him, and desired me so to inform him. lie also
said that had done BIN serious, perhaps rrcpara-
bic injury, by not mentioning the subject of Whit
tcbery to Mr. Marshall. In 1880, the morning
Mr.. r. left home for the Russian Mission, he de-
livercd me list of mares and FLIES, which he had
made out a few days before, for a gentleman who
had applied to him 10 purchase, with the price OF
each, and directed him 10 sell at the prices named
in the list. In July or September, Mr.. Marshall
applied 10 me to purchase a mare. told him |
could not bargain with him that he might take
the list left by Mr. Randolph, and choose any
thing on it at Mr.. Randoph's pricc>--Mr. Mar
shall selected year old fIIy, called Whitebcrry,
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