Remember the guy Morphy beat in the Paris Opera House? Here's some interesting background on the gentleman checkmated by the champ:
"He (the Duke) is also remembered fondly by one other group other than chess players. To understand why the city of Geneva has a large memorial to the Duke of Brunswick, we first must understand his passion for lawsuits. He filed hundreds of lawsuits, once suing a washer-woman over a seven franc bill, and filing at least twelve lawsuits over the repair of a single watch. His greatest lawsuits, however, involved his (illegitimate, but acknowledged) daughter, who he cut off completely after she converted to Catholicism. He lost a lawsuit ordering him to support his daughter and her children, and fled his palace in Paris to avoid the consequences, eventually ending up in Geneva. After several changes of his will, he bequeathed his entire estate to the city of Geneva, due to the wonderful condition of the tombs in the church of St. Peters; he wanted his monument to be eternal. Shortly before his death, he changed his mind again; he had thrown some water out his window and the water drenched a passerby, who threatened a lawsuit. He was preparing to go back to his palace in Paris, but before he could change the will he died. His huge estate went to Geneva, in return for a grandiose monument which they erected according to his wishes."
from http://batgirl.atspace.com/Duke.html
Check it out; there's more bizarre stuff about the Duke.