The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-03-02

front room, when the solicitor of Basing-
hall Street was announced. Golding was
thin, wiry little man, with the eyes of
a lynx, which, when he had made his
general bow, glanced from the fortunate
and decorous nephew to the unfortunate
and weeping Lucy Hasclgrove, with
piercing arrow-like scrutiny,
The will made in 1865, began Mr.
Golding, has been. understand you to
say, destroyed by the deceased's own
act p
Yes replied Charles Passmore my
lamented uncle told me SO himself not
more than forty-eight hours before his
death
And that which was to have replaced
1t has not been drawn up, much less ex
ecuted q
Exactly said Mr.. Aspern.
Still / can have no Doubt am act
ing, 1 may as we'll tell you, in the inter
est of this young lady, Miss Lucy Hasel
grove though not directly instructed by
hcr--I can have no doubt, 1 say, that
the heir-at-iaw will carry out his uncle's
clearly expressed int entions, though not
legally compelled to do SO p
The heir.at.law colored, and looked
annoyed, but promptly answered 4 shall
most assuredly do no such thing. Your
client, Miss Lucy Haselgrove, is no rel
ative of mine, and can have no claim,
equitable or otherwise, to any portion Of
my lawful Inheritance
And that is your fixed determina-
tion q said Mr. Golding, with sort of
stern exultation in his tone and manner
Certainly it is. The prime duty Of
every man is to look after his own in
tetest that of his relatives demands his
next care
very prettily said indeed and it
happens, too, that have just now a
prime duty to perform. Mr.. Michael
Benson's last will has been destroyed
Of that fact l have not the slightest
doubt and, you say, by the testator's own
act, about which there may be two opin-
ions. Be that, however, as it may ]
have the honor to inform you, that by a
will not destroyed, and how in my pos
session, dated April 7, l746-at which
time. it may be remembered, Mr.. Ben
sons life was for time considered in
danger, in consequence of q fall from a
ladder
Il remember it well,' Interrupted
one Of the mourners presei I 'the more
by token-But beg pardon
by that will, now the last will of my
| tIo, o1,n,t N,oL.a1 Ra,oo, oont,N,aJ
Mr. Golding, with his keen eyes fixed
upon the ashy countenance of the heir
at law, all the property, real and person
al, of which the testator might die soz
ed and possessed, was bcqucathed tc
Lucy Haselgrove, formerly of Barbican
and then Carlisle, and after her to each oi
her children in equal proportions. Lucy
Haselgrove, therefore, here present, be
ing, as l am instructed, the only surviv
ing child of Lucy Haselgrove, formerly
Lucy Andrews of Barbican, is the SOLE
legatee under this will, and owner of tho
entire reality as well as personals, lef
by the said Michael Benson. p
A cry of desperation from Charlie!
Passmore, accompanied by frantic ef
fort to seize the fatal document-by hi
own act rendered fatal--interrupted Mr.
Golding. Foiled in this maniacal at
tempt. the infuriated young man reiter
ated his inarticulate shrek of rage, ant
turned revengefully towards the bewil
dered and now terrified Lucy Haselgrove
lost his balance before he could reacl
, her, reeled, and fell without sense o.
motion on the floor
Thus essentially concludes stor,
still current in the parish of Cripplegat'
Without, London. 1t is only necessar,
to add, that much of the foregoing de
tail was CLEANED from the rawlings o
Charles Passmore during his confne
, ment in Bethlehem Hospital as con
firmed lunatic, which lasted till hi
death and burial in Cripplegate church
yard, as recorded by the nearly sunlsel
gravestone before spoken of that Luc.
Haselgrove was put into peaccable pos
session of the property of Michael Ben
son and that one of the handsomes
and most popular lady-mnyoresses tha
flourished at the close of the eighteenth
century, was the fortunate daughter o
the Beauty of Barbcan.