The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-02

of the General Assembly OF virginia, anu
"Turnhul! on the Diseases OF the Ear :"
fyearl; when lawyer present inquired,
"Of what year?" NORFOLK.
Eccentric John Eiwyn.
ODDITIES OF MIND THAT HAD EXPRESSION IN
VILLA QUEER TEsTAABETARY DOCUMENT,
BUT ONE THAT STOOD THE TEST OF TIE LAW.
The Hon. John Elwyp, au eccentric and
thoroughly original gentleman Of The ola
English school, died recently In Portsmouth,
Nh. He was born 10 Bristol, England,
February /. 1901. His parents were ID
France lust previous TO his birth, ano DIS
mother having decllred that che would not
he the mother of Frenchman, small YES
sel was engaged TO convey Der across the
straits al q lime when passage through the
French feet that guarded the coast couid
hardly be obtained. But the French Admi'
raj threw open the blockade IN consideration
of the hospi,ai.ies be bad received at the
hands OF Mrs. Elwyn's father, Governor
Langdon, op the occasion of visit 10 forts'
mouth. Elw>p graduated at Harvard IN the
same class With George Bancroft ana Tue
Hon. Caleb Gushing.
Inst nreyious to bis death he was reading
the Old Test, ment, in the original Hebrew,
for the eleventh time. His will was ad-
mitted 70 probate on the 18Th, in Exeter.
The following Is a vertatim copy OF the
document, and is printed precisely as II
was written. The words In small capitals
are pen-printed 10 the will in large Romas
letters. Mr.. Elwyn's eccentricities are mani
fest throughout this most singular docu-
hent: -,
We then JOHN ELwYs Of Portsmouth ia
the County OF Rockingham and State OF
New Hampshire being OF sound mind and
memory but now seventy years old, mean
this instrument for my LAST WlLa and les
LAMENT
there seems to be little estate worth the
gathering in Of; careless 1t Is 10 one througa
nv whole life of money wickedly careless
you may say if you choose though never
threw 1t very wifully away shall Die mueh
poorer than might for full very full nay
head always has been from my earliest baby
hood Of something or other else and never OF
money, and ! never could do two things at
one time still and Notwithstanding never
once let nv thipkings about money stop at
all, nor slstken ever my book work nor head
work of what kind soever 1t might De, still
there ia q little estate to gather 10.
nv lands In Portsmouth altogether some
seven hundred and fifty acres, this that am
doing nothing with at all is worth we'll more
than fifty thousand dollars is Fighter nearer
seventy five thousand dollars; then l be.
lieye near about already hundred thousand
dollars besides to guess by what it brings in
wear; though SIN going If live another
twelve month to spend few thousands on
nv ground, still the whole Is Ike 10 oe
getting always more, wei! then 1t IS worth
the looking after, it may well be set az nan-
dred and fly thousand dollars, Is worth
more than that to keep and want my heir
to think be gets 1t NOT from NIB but bis FORE
FATHERS:
nv brother and ss.er the only ones left
besides me of the once nine children oil
Thomas and Eliza Elwyp, the others and all
their children all long since dead, there is
though q two nephews and believe thirteen
great nephews and great nieces yet, well
then though none of us is rich but there
ought to be already l should guess some six
hundred thousand dollars amongst the W6oie
at nv death even If soon, they are not Ike 10
be in want nor am man OF fortune, Will
rot lengthen this instrument With compl-
mentary legacies:
leave though SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS for
every wear of Der life TO ELIZA BECK Of this
village the daughter of John Beck: she is
only o half dozen Of years younger than me,
was broughtup on my old homestead, is she
neither ny wife nor my mistress, but my
heirs must deal kindly with her to be as ii
she ia some way belonged TO me:
all but this six hundred dollars every year
of her life to HER: well then l leave the
WHOLE Of my estate for HIS LIFB to my
NEPHEW my brother Alfreds son 10 ALFRED
ELwYN now of Philadelphia now in Holy
Orders: next then at his my nepbews DEATH
then mean all my ESTATE to 20 to HIS my
nephew Alfreds son 10 FEE SIMPLE: then If He
should DIE tie first and BEFORE my NEPHEW
then my said NRruEw's life estate to be turn.
ed into then tull FEE SIMPLE 10 himself.
clear enough 10 any court what mean :
/ should like 10 60 straight on but this /
cannot make it do In the States nor in Eng.
land neither fs this little anything Of FOR
TUNE and this the chld's mother is very IN.
commonly clesr'y to understand from me.
should like my great nephew, but they
can do as they choose TO call himself Thomas
Elwyn only; the name Of my father and bis
own father, Of my rsat'grantfsther and l
believe OF my sTest.great-grandtatber, OF my
great.gress. grest-grandlathe know; all in
Kent and yeoman of Kent from very early
DAY; they need not 60 to the General Court
all ut least that English law wants to know
WHO their beir meant is: with locking for
ward, however, to bis calling himself and
being commonly cnleu ny ZIG naeue tue Tie.
tator says: / should like my heir to call
himself Thomas Elwyn and the Thomas
ONLY.
And jeremiah said unto the house of the
Rechabites thus saith the Lord Of hosts, the
God of Israel; bee tlse ye have obeyed the
commandment of Jonadab your father, and
done according to all that be bath CON-
auanded you; therefore, thus saith the Lord
of hosts, The God q Israel: Joradab, the
son OF Rechah, shall not want man to stand
np before me forever.
Here rs another the harmony Of the verse
to me is almost heavenly, 1t Is one.of the
best and sweet Hebrew, and puts you in
mind Of our old NeWen land way:
And they buried him ia the BoRDEa OF bis
aNHERlTAHCE 10 TlmratbSerah which is 10
mount Ephraim on the north side of
Gaash:-
an other things to be dane can tell my
brother. make HIN and his SON and Mr.
JosKPH r. CARPENTER all of Philsdeiphia the
three EXECUTORS Of this my last WILL and
TESTAMENT. jean ELwYS.