Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-09-23

following:
There is nothing more singular in the history
of testam entary dispositions than the fashion in
which the owners OF property have seized the
occasion to have it OUT with their relatives.
There is a aendlsh ingenuity of cruelty in the
conduct of man who leaves q cert.in legacy
in his will to fire the imagination of such and
such relative, and then revokes the blquest
BY codlcl giving the reasons for his so doing
Attached to oLher requests we'll known in the
lore OF anecdote, phrases have been used which
must have considerably lessened the satisfaction
of the legatee. An Englishman once left the
sum of 5s ito Mary Davis daughter of Peter
Delaport, which is sufficient to enable her to get
drunk tcr the last time at my expense" A
member of great industrial family, which has
been renowned for generations for its eccentri-
cities, remarked in his WILL ITO my only son,
who never would follow my advice and has
treated me r1udely in very many instances: in
legatee las till this day he was,) l give him
EloOON;" but then no ordinary person would
stop to Consider the terms of bequest which
handed him over 100000 1t is on record that
another gentleman once directed his executors
to purchase copy of the picture representing q
viper biting the hand of the man who had $ we'd
IT. and to give that t" a certain friend of his, in
lieu OF II legacy of,.c3OU0 which. he had left him
by former will Low revoked and burned. II
give and devise to my son, Daniel Church, :"
said n certain Mr.. s. Church, in his will ''only
one shilling, and that is for him to hire por-
ter to carry away the next badge and frame he
steals" Dying people have often had thus a
grin at their friends expense A certain Judge
once decreed by his will that his wife should
cut off one of Lis toes or fingers to make sure
that he WAS dead, adding that he made the re-.
quest so that ms she had been, troubled with
one old fool, she will not think Of marrying a
second" though why her cutting off toe from
her deceased lord should have prevented hei
choosing n successor to him doss not clearly ap:
poar. a MIR. swain, we are told, gave ITO John
Abbott and Mary, his wife, Cd. each, to bug for
each OF them halter for fear The sheriff. should
not be provided a Mr. Dariey lett to his
wito Il sailing 'or picking my pocket Of sixty
guinness" A bookseller Is said to have let the
handsome legacy OF $50 10 "E,iz .be;h Parker,
whom, through my foolish !oadness, made
my wife, without regard 10 family, fame or for:
tune and who, in return, has not spared most
urjuslly to accuse me Of avery crime regarding
human nature, save highway robbery" Not
The least curious feature, too, in wills and be.
quests is tho extraordinary Importance which
women more especially put upon articles OF
household furniture and decoration that nave
become endeared TO them through constant care
and pride A friend has tn ught that Joke
mast have been III the mind OF This or that oIt
lady who, with great circumstanliAlity, directed
in her will that he should havea particular sci,
OF sugar tongs and his wife a knitted fire screen;
whereas the old lady considered that these arti
c.es were OF the utmost value ami Importance