, 1877-07-29

AN ECCENTRIC ENGLISHMAN.
A suit brought by son to break the will Of
his father, recently deceased, Was tried not long
since in an English court of justice. Tic de-
fendants to the suit fought hard to retain their
rights in the premises, but the claim Of the
plaintiff that the deceased, Mr. Bethel Wal
rond, was Of unsound mind was SO clearly estab-
lished that decision was given in his favor. It
was shown that 3fr. Warond's management Of
Ills several children was painful in the extreme.
He insisted not only ON their complying with
his caprices but with his bitter animositics. To
one OF the girls he gave the name Of Devil,
always addressed her as such, and branded the
name with lunar caustir on her skin. The
eldest son he was always tutoring to act the
part of eldest son to such 4 father. All llis
natural aud aniAble feeling he bestowed upon
dogs. he ucrer saw 4 dog without stopping as
Others do at meeting an acquaintance, aud he
invested them with souls, not only for eternity,
which is speculative aftair. but for this present
time, which is more practical. He slept with
dogs, talked to them, embraced them, and kept
up in every way the foua belief that he WAS
holding conversation with them. One OF the
girls died abroad. The child WAS buried, but
the father had the body eyhumed, brought
home, kept in his bedroom, and finally deposit
cd in his own grave BY his suc Together with
the remains of the child he brought from
abroad the body uf dug into which lc always
declared the soul Of the deceased daughter had
passed, on no uther ground tllan TINT he could
detect the daughters expression us be talked
to the dog. He had many other brute pets,
such as rabbits, and had 'o little difficulty in
making his dogs discriminate between the pct
rabbits aud the wild Unes with which his domain
abounded. lie was not i tlog-laucer in the Or
dinary sense Of the term, for it Was ruthcr tho
human affinity that hs looked for in the dog
than perfection OF form or purity Of breed One
day coming suddenly on dog OF character, I
surt of Dutch InastiT terrier pug, he fell VIC
lently in love with the animal, and secured one
OF its offspring, c coufd not tlayc tho parent
In his will he had left 81, ,00O to lis dogs, but
this only survived, So by u codiclt he reduced
the legacy to 81 :5O3, the interest Tor the dogs
Keep, hcqueathiug the capital after its death to
a hospital fer sick dogs. AL his dogs had SOL
elnn funerals and duly inscribed monuments.
His gardeners aud lahorere had to walk to the
grave in procession, closely watched, and they
were Instantly discharged il smile could bedc
tcrtcd III their rcounteEances. There characters
naturally unsocjablc and rebellious, but par
TALLY redeemed by Kindness to servants and i'll
feriors. There was no such mitigation in Mr..
Wairond's nature. lie had strict and tnitute
code OF rules aud forfelturcs Tor his servants,
extending to his children. II he found I tcsom
or a toy On the graycl-walls. it was sin to bc
severely expiatcd alr. Walrord gradually ac-
auircd whole park of artillery, about fifty
heavy guns, which Oil acesasioiIs hc tired. Oue
day poor man lOn1 Ill Ills ct11Ilot AA0 uoLl LIS
arms blown Off by premature discharge. aud
was Immediately thrown on the parish by his
master All his domestic arrangements were as
ninu.ely ordered IS If for court, though his
servants we're on board wages, and his own per
sonal wants very small. One ol his bitter quar-
reis with the son was that the lad had come
home from school after journey very hungry,
and, finding his father would give him nothing
to cat lie asked thu servants for slice OF bread,
which they had given him.
Nor was it with his son alone that Mr.. Wal
ron(1 ouarrelcd. lie conceived all animosity
equally bitter toward his wife and daughters,
with whom lie refused to hold any coFnli,unIca-
tiost., He lived OH, visiting aud receiving no
one, with the exception OF 4 few Intimate
friends. He never wrnt beyond the range of his
grounds. He slept in huge bcdstead Of carved
oak, to each post OF which he attixed hearsc
plume of blark ostrich feathers. while On the
architraves, between thu. pu1nes. were three
human skulls uaile.l to pedcstals. Moreover, it,
the snmc room in which lle slept every night lie
had placed lcadcn coffin containing the re-
mains OF one Of his daughters, who had died in
Italy in her childhood. and whose body he had
had exhutned aud brought to his house.. For
MANY years he had no communication with any
one except the rcarcst clergyman. who i'll the
public interest, felt it very properly his duty to
keep up at least that one remaining hold on the
unhappy recluse.