A QUEER CHARACTER.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 98, 23 November 1878, Page 3

A QUEER CHARACTER.

The Exeter ‘ Flying Post ’ contains the f .flowing account of an excentric gentleman : —A great number of persons are now visiting Dulford House, Culiomptou, the residence of the late Mr. Bethel Walrond, whose strange and eccentric life was revealed by the will suit that occupied so much time in the Probate Court at the early part of this year. The premises are thrown open to the public in consequence of the sale necessary to meet the order of the Court for the payment of Lady Janet Walrond and her daughter. The house and grounds are encircled by a brick wall a mile in circumference and twelve feet in height. The lawn was converted into a rabdit warren, the deceased keeping thousands of rabbits. His chief companions were his rabbits and his dogs. He held the belief that, on the death of human beings, their souls passed into the dodies of dogs. As these animals died lie gave them a Inn oral, and on the lawn there are ten graves, each having a headstone bearing an inscription setting out the name of the animal, the place and date of birth, and the date at which it died. Until the day of In’s death Mr. Walrond kept in his house the emba’m >d body of a daughter whose soul he believed had found a resting-place in the body of orm of the dogs. No one was admitted by the deceased to the premises without special permission for each visit, ami the entrance as well as the front of the house was guarded by a number of cannons. The body of h is deceased damriit- r was kept in Ids dressing-room, ami bis own bed-room was fitted up with the view of familiarising him with d ath. He slept in a massive canopied Devonshire oak bedst ad, on the foot-board of which then w r- throe sku’ls of females fixed. Over each cornt of the b d there was a black feather plume. In the bed so decorated he died. The b-d, the drapery of which was crimson and gold, is now to lie so hi with the other things. The oak funrtnre is very massve, I ut most ot the fittings shew signs of the neglect consequent on (he dectascd’s retirem nt. He spent the greater portion of (lie hist fifteen years of In’s life in the stud}’ of the law .-uits in which he was involved, and in the pursuit of which he seemed to find enjoyment. It is remarked in the neighbourhood that lie did md mind who he went to law with or on what subject he fought, and he was regardless of the amount of moivy spent if he c nijl only beat ins antagonist. At one time and another he employed over forty solicitors, and lie requested that in every document Ids full title as a grandee of Spain, and as a member of various Orders, should be set out. The extent of the deceased’s estate in Devonriiire was 3.000 aces.