The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-06-11
SOME STRANGE REQUESTS.

Large Sums of Money Given Away Under
Singular Circumstances.
Nothing reveals the characters of peo-
pie more than the gifts and requests
they make. Could anything, for in
stance, better exhibit the amiability of
DR.. Gregory, once famous Edinburg
physician, than the following conduct:
One day he was receiving fees for the
privilege of attending his lectures. He
left student, and went into an adioin-
ing room for fresh supply of admis-
sion tickets In a mirror he saw the
student sweep into his pocket some
sovereigns from heap of gold 1.-THE
fees of other students) that lay on the
table. The doctor returned dated
j the admission ticket, and gave it to
the thief He then politely attended
him to the door, and on the threshold
said, with deep emotion: 81 saw what
you did just now. Keep the money. |
know what distress you must be in. But
Tor Gods sake never do it again-it can
never succeed" The pupil implored
gregory to take back the money, but he
refused, saying: "Your punishment is
this: you must keep it, now you have
taken it. The reproof had a salutary
effect. The youth turned out an honest
man. A similar story is told of Lett
son, another physician, who, in his dav.
was very celebrated. On one occasion.
as he was travelling, a highwayman
stopped his carriage, and, putting his
pistol into the window, demanded his
money. The faltering voice and hest
tation of the robber showed that he was
new to the business. Lettson, handing
him his card, said that he was sorry to
see such well-lool1ing young man pur-
suing such a course. which would in
evitably bring him to ruin; that he
would give him all the money he had
ABOUT him and would try to put him in
better way of life, if he called
upon him in the course of a few DAYS.
Finding that the young man had been
driven to lawless action by unexpected
money difficulties, and that he had oc-
cupied good position, Lettson OBJ
tanned for him. commission in the
army, where he distinguished himself
SO much that his name appeared twice
IN the Gazette. Here are two instances
or requests which must have heaped |
Goals of fire upon the heads of the
recipients. When bleeding a French |
lady surgeon had used his lancet so |
clumsily that he cut an artery instead |
OF vein, in consequence of which the /
lady died. On her death-bed she, with |
charming humanity and irony, made a
will bequeathing the operator life
annuity of eight hundred pounds, on
condition that he never again bled |
any body SO long as he lived. Z"
A similar story is told of a Polish
princess who lost her life i'll the same
way. In her will, made in extremis.
there was the following clause: Con
vlneed OF the injury that my unfortu-
nate accident will occasion to the I'M
happy surgeon who is the cause of nv
death. bequeath to him life annuity
OF two hundred ducats, secured by nv
estate, and forgive his mistake from nv
heart. wish this may indemnify him
for the discredit which my sorrowful
catastrophe viii bring upon him" Very
thoughtful. too, was the man who not
long ago left large sum of money to
Ills OA SOuu1llOu GndG ne would
get married in six months, and not be a
old bachelor like his uncle.
That it is impossible, however, to be
quite as unhappy when married is
proved by the fact that one Thomas
Nash, in 1913, bequeathed fifty pounds
> year to the ringers of the Abbey
.hurch at Westminster, on condition
If their ringing on the whole
peal of. bells, with clappers muf1ed,
Tarious solemn changes on the 14th of
Nay in every year, that being the an
liversary of my wedding day, and also
N the anniversary of my decease to
ing a grand bob-major and merry,
nirthful peals, unmufied, in joyful COM
nemoration of my happy release from
Iolnesttc tyranny and wretehedness"