The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-03-04
DISPUTED WILI.-THE CONSEQUENCES OF
PRESCRIBING FOR A BROTHERS. NOSE. !.

Wellesley against Hope and .4nother.--This case,
which was heard on Thursday in the Prerogatiye
Court business of proving, in solemn form, the
last will of Mr.. Edward Hope by the Rev Henry
Wellesley, the universal legatee against Mr.. James
Joseph Hope We're, the brother and the Hon. Jane
Knox the sister of the deceased the only of kin
The testator died on the 4th of November 1896, at
the age Of A. leaving property of the value of about
$4,000. The paper in question is dated Z" London,
August 10, 1922 and is to the following effect
g In the name of God, Amen, Edward Hope, do
leave and bequeath every thing | possess under the
sun TO Henry Wellesley, younger son of the Mar
quis of Wellesley, who is brother to the Duke Of
Wellington
The paper in the deceased's handwriting, but is
not signed at the end nor attested. will of the de-
ceased dated July 81, 1885, bequeathing the entire
property to the Rev. Mr. Wellesley, with the eNceI
ton of e3 00) the deceased servant Louisa God
dard has been set aside on the ground Of insanity
Dr. flaggard and Dr. Hurdlng argued against the
validity of the paper that the contents bore marks of
haste impulse and eccentrclty that it was informal,
being without signature /; that it was an noffcious
will, giving the whole property to stranger to the
total disinherson of the next of kim and that the
Court had account Of its place of deposite during
the long period between its date and the death of the
deceased. On the contrary, the disposition was not
a natural one and the Court had before it the follow
ing letter from the deceased to his sister Mrs Knox,
referring to supposed complaint in his nose, which
was at least eccentric:
"My dear Jane,-I send you this letter for the plr
pose OF bestowng upon you my most hearty malcdc-
ton and curse. About two years ago you reg
ularly' consulted by relative to disorder in my
nose you gave me your advice and acted in conse-
quence. | applied medicines to it, by my apotheca-
res advice that had the consequence of njurng it III
most dreadful manner, made it intoerablc to my
self and odious to look at Why, then, did you not
sound the alarm when you saw was injuring it.;
And if you did not perceive it, how comes that about
when all my other friends did, and remarked it to me
Look to the consequence-my fortune and prospects
ruined for life, as | can neither soop to read
or write without pain consequently, the law and
everything else is put an end to for could neither
even bea secretary of state ambassador any thing
else that requires writing.
put it to you, therefore, how you absolve yourself
TO God and your own conscience for letting your
nearest relations go to ruin before your eyes You
have already told that you saw change
take place ask you then, in Gods name why are
you so blind to the most important things III life But
remember very well it always said that.noth-
ing made the least impression upon you; and be-
lieye from my soul, now, that it is the fully
believe-for have already it--that the gossa-
mer and trash of this life are the only things YOU
for All this may be severe, but | consider it
my duty to write it."
This letter was dated the 18th of February 1892,
six months before the date of the paper in question
Sir ii. Jenner of opinion that it had been sulli-
cently proved, not only that this the will of Ma
Edward Hope but that he intended to do nothing
more TO render it operative, and that there was 10
proof that he of unsound mind. lie was bound,
therefore, to decree administration, with the paper
annexed to the Rev. Henry Wellesley, the unlyer-
sal legatee