A remarkably interesting will case has just been concluded in which the aim has been to upset the will of the Into-Mrs. Howard, of Blackpool, a widow Indy who died last December leaving a considerable amount of money. She appointed her medical man, Dr. George Kingsbury, one of her executors and likewise made her residuary legatee, which entitled him to something like £30,000. Her son (with whom she had not been on good terms)
disputed the will, alleging that undue influence had been used and suggesting that it had been made under hypnotic influence. It was proved that on various occasions D. Kingsbury had attempted to hypnotixe Mrs. Howard for pains in the head. The doctor admitted the attempt but said he had always been unsuccessful and moreover that he had never mentioned. business affairs on these occasions, and that Mrs. Howard's maid had been present: on each occasion when the experiment had been After listening carefully to all the evidence the Jury decided in the doctor's favour and he is enriched to the extent of between £30,000 and £40,000. One great point he made was that it was impossible to hypnotism anyone against their will, If the will is actively employed in opposition this may be the case, but I am sure many people are hypnotized unconsciously as was so cleverly demonstrated by Messrs. Traill and Hichens in The Medicine Man.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.