Washington sentinel., 1854-01-01
The Mason WIN Case.-The following is the

The Mason WIN Case.-The following is the
conclusion of the recent decision of Judge Morris
of the New York Supreme Court, in the celebrated
Mason will case:
The evidence in the case establishes the follow
ing facts Mr.. Mason was in the perfect posses
sion of his intellect down to and including Septem-
Der %, 1880. As early as September 10 or II, he
was conscious that he must die soon thereafter,
and that he might die at any moment. The sub
iect of making will was thought of by him. and
down TO and including the 22d, he had determined
not TO make will. From the 22d, down to the
afternoon of the 25th his body and his mind rapid
ly decayed On the night of the 25th, downto and
including II o'clock on the 26th, Mr.. Mason's
mind was in the past, not present; his mind saw
and spoke TO and of subjects as being present
which were not present; spoke OF the admittance
of facts which were not facts. Disease and pain
had placed him in that state of approximation
when the physical lives beyond the mental when
the mind is only present in the past. Mr.. Stropg
O'Clock, and left it again at five minutes before IL
o'clock. OF the twenty-five minutes Mr. Strong
was in Mr. Mason's room, twenty of them were
consumed in reading the will.
The glass Of water which DR.. Berger gave 10
Mr.. Mason in Mr.. Strong's presence after the will
had been signed, was the last drink which DR.
Berger gave to Mr.. Mason; and Mr.. Mason died
within five minutes after that drink Mr.. Strong
reached the street three minutes before twelve
o'clock. At twelve o'clock Mr.. Mason was dead
fifteen minutes before his death. The only re.
| naming question of fact is whether Mr.. Mason
notwithstanding all the foregoing established facts
was during the twenty minutes Mr.. Strong was
reading the will, and the time Mr.. Mason was
signing and acknowledging il, restored to the pos
session of disposing mind, memory and under
standing; for if he was, the will is good. The
testimony of Mr.. Strong, while II shows the pres
ence of approaching death, making rapdity o
action the part of Mr.. Strong necessary, state:
i - ,,,txl ind ran
OF the occurrences of the previous twenty-ton
hours, were consistent with the possession by Mr.
| Mason of disposing mind and memory; yet those
| facts are not inconsistent with the mechanical
| performance by Mr.. Mason of habtua business
acts in the absence of mental direction. TheJury
by their verdict found the existence of the latter
fact. In my judgment, the evidence fully Justfes
such conclusion. No direction of court could as
strongly Indicate the result the jury arrived at as
the simple statement the evidence in the chro
biological order of events. The motion for new
trial should be denied, with costs.
Man with Four Wives.-Warren F. Smith
of Manchester, N. H., has been arrested at Nashua
N. H., on charge of bigamy. II is stated that he
has four living wives, one in ManchestersN. H.,
one in Bradford Mass. one in northern New
Hampshire. and one "elsewhere." He tried to
make terms with his last wife, in Manchester, and
requested her TO meet him for that purpose. She
agreed to meet him at Nashua, and then notified
the police, who proceeded to the place of meeting
and took him into custody.
Sea MOuse.-A beautiful living specimen O
the aphrodite is exhibiting in England The fish
is six inches long, and presents the general ap.
pearance ofa sole. II is furnished with twenty
six feet on either edge of the under part Of the
body, the extremity of each leg or foot possessing
four or five tantaculse. The great remarkable
feature, however, is in the fine glossy fiament oi
hair which fringes the side of the animal all
round, every hair rejecting the colors of the rain
bow.
lsS- Anthony Ten Eyck, esq, of Albany, attor.
ney generals clerk was killed near Albany on
Wednesday evening, by being thrown from q
wagon, in consequence of comingi in collision with
another wagon, which was going at rapid rate
in an opposite direction. He lived but about
twenty minutes after the accident, during which
time he was entirely unconscious, Mr.. T. was q
single man, thirty-one years of age. He occupied
the position held by the late amented William
Bamber, at the time Of his shocking death, pro-
duced by the explosion Of cask of alcohol, en-
veoping him'in flames, and setting fire TO Messrs.
McClure's drug store in State street, Albany.