Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-06-02
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
DIR. 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 q heap Of gold 1.-THE
fees of other students) that Law on the
table. The doctor returned, dated
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 car
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 II" The reproof had a salutary
effect. The youth turned out an honest
man. similar story is told Of Lett
Son. another physician, who, in.his day,
was very celebrated. On one occasion,
as he was travelling, q highwayman
stopped his carriage, and, putting his
pistol into the window, demanded his
money. The faltering voice and hest
tatlon 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-looking young man pur-
suing such 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 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
of requests which must have heaped
Goals of fire upon the heads of the
recipients. When bleeding u 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
will bequeathing the operator life
annuity of eight hundred pounds, on
condition that he never again bled
anybody SO long as he lived"
A similar story is told of Polish
princess who lost her life in the same
way. In her will, made in extremis,
there was the following clause: "Con-
WINGED of the injury that my unfortu-
nate accident will occasion to the IN
happy surgeon who is the cause of my
death, bequeath to him a life annuity
of two hundred ducats, secured by my
estate, and forgive his mistake from my
heart l wish this may indemnify him
for the discredit which my sorrowful
catastrophe will bring upon him." Very
thoughtful, too, was the man who not
long ago left large sum of money to
his nephew, on condition that he would
get married in six months, and not be
miserable 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 1918, bequeathed 'fifty pounds
a year to the ringers of the Abbey
church at Westminster, on condition
of their ringing ON the whole
peal of bells, with clappers muff1ed,
various solemn changes on the 14th of
May in every year, that being the an
niversary of my wedding day, and also
on the anniversary of my decease to
ring a grand bob-major and merry,
mirthful peals, unmuffled, in joyful COM
memoration of my happy release from
domestic tyranny and wretchedness."
Gratitude is not common virtue, but
it induces people to make
handsome requests. An old lady left
twenty thousand pounds to gen.
tleman for no other reason than
because he once held her pew door
open. A man who had been res
cued from drowning by a sailor pre-
sented the latter with the magnificent
reward of one shilling. AS the man was
known to be rich, indignant murmurs
arose from the crowd who had wit
messed the rescue. Among them was
the poet Burns, who said: SHY
friends, the gentleman must know his
own value better than we do" The
life of the gentlemen to be mentioned
next was much more valuable. He had
been saved by carpenter from drown
AAS AAA oAAS AAf(A y hS' ANO ohAA1hoS
and the usual courtesies We're all that
were given at the time, but three years
afterward the gentleman died and left
to his rescuer twenty-five thousand
pounds worth of landed estate and one
thousand four hundred and fifty pounds
in money. Clergymen, literary men
and medical men frequently receive
marks of gratitude from their admirers.
Some years ago Bolton manufacturer
sent a check of four thousand pounds |
to Prof Huxley. Charles Reade and |
James Payn, the novelists, are said to |
have been handsomely remembered in
the wills of readers who were |
unknown to them. Mr..
Clement Scott, the dramatic critic, was,
we believe, left legacy of the interest |
on ten thousand pounds by an unknown
admirer. It is not often that man of |
any profession receives an offer like |
IL I'll, a. - L