Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1889-08-03 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

REMARKABLE WILL SUIT.  In the Probate Division, Mr. Justice Butt and • special jury have had before them the cue of Lao. canter and others o Binoke and Hunt. It had refer. mice to the testamentary dispositions of the late Mr. W. Lancaster, formerly a glicitor of Bradford, who died on July 3, 1883, possessed of about £60,000. The plaintiffs claimed to be the next of kin of the deceased. The defendants, the Rev. John Brooke and Mr; Hunt, a surgeon, were executors under a will of Mrs. Elizabeth Stetlings, a widow, sister of the deceased, who died on May 23, 1888, and they propounded a will of June 30, 1883, by which Mrs. Stellings mu solely benefited. The plaintiffs allege] that the will of the deceased wax not duly executed, and that the signature to it sus obtained by undue influence; further, that he did not know and approve of It. contents, which was denied. Sir H. James, Q.C., Mr. Inderwick, Q.C., and Mr. Searle appeared for the plaintiffs, and the Solicitor. General, Mr. Rowland., Q.C., and Mr. Middleton for the defendants. In opening the case, Sir H. James said that the will in question had been proved in 1883, and now it had been thought fit to dispute it, because information had only been brought to the minds of the plaintiff at a comparatively recent period. In 1877 the deceased had an attack of paralysis, and log the use of his right hand, so that he could not write. The paralysis did not at the time affect his mental powers, and it was not con. tended that he mu not competent to continue the management of his affairs. Mrs. Stellings, who had been in Australia, lived with her brother, but they did not seem to have lived amicably together. There was no devotion to her on the part of the testator that would lead him to make her the sole recipient of his bounty. In 1883 they went to Southport, wherehe became very ill, and it was thought definable that he should make his will. This was drawn up. It was a very short one, and left her everything. Thecase was that undue influence was brought to bear upon tins to sign the document in question. In one of the entries in tte diary of Mrs. Stelling" occurred the weeds, "Got all important business concluded.' Evidence was then given to the effect that the de= ceased had said that he would not leave his relation, any money. When he was very ill it was suggested that a clergyman should visit him, but he said he "did not believe in clergymen or doctors; they were all scamps." (Laughter.) Further, that he and Mrs. Stellings lived upon very bad terms together, ore witness stating that there was" never a day without a quarrel," and that by her conduct it was not thought by anybody that she would be the recipient of all his money. It was also given in evidence that the will was not read over to him before be signed it. In the result, the jury found for the defendants upon all the issues, awl the learned judge pronounced for the will of 1883, with costs.  Taxan was a terrible fight at Buffalo, Now York, between a man with one arm and a man with n, arms. The armless man, poll. Henry McNulty, was choked to death by his assailant--a violent fellow named Doyle. . _ .  CHARLES SMITH WU a riOtOua fellow of Bleckmar. Michigan. Quarrelling with hie aged re,thel.: he shot her dead. The poor old woman's grandchild at once seized the gun, turn^d it on tl the murderer. and meted out to him the same death he had given hie mother.  ONE CASE OF  ARMY AND NAVY MEDICINES ji contains sufficient te Cure Contagious Disease* of • Certain Class (Internal and External). 4.. 6d. Farcels Post, ss. Single Bader of Mixture, Is. 6d. METHUEN, OPIIIATIVII CHINN? (late Bowker), 332