Washington telegraph., 1852-10-20
Old Billy making his Will.


Old Billy l. was close and cute
zone on EN-" He married, about twenty
years since, the daughter of Mrs. c..
who had but one other child--a son. She
had about twenty "woolly heads, % of which
number she gave her son Lem H three );
and living at Old Billy's house, she had not
thought proper to give him any property at
ALL He had the use of the servants, and his
coed mamma.in-law Thought that was enough.
But the old lady was very kind-hearted and
credulous and vet with these good qualities
in his favor Old Billy had planned and plot
ted for years in vain, trying to induce ''our
nanny" (as he called her, to give him a
title to the darkies At last new idea
found its tangled way into his organ of ac-
quisitiveness
Old Billy was attacked very suddenly and
very severely with cramp cholic. He went
TO bed, rolled, groaned, grunted, and tum-
bled, contracting his arms and legs. His
wife wanted to send for doctor
:'Oh, Nelly, it's 10 use. can't revive it.
I'll suspire fore night. Espatch Cato for
Captain Murry, 10 write my last willin' test
ament''
Captain Murry came, and found the dy-
ing man in great pain his end was at hand.
After the Captain had mended his pen, and
his writing fxens were all ready for use, the
sick man whined out in faint weak voice.
"Mely, ak our nanny to come In
The old lady came, greatly distressed and
sobbng.
"Oh. Nanny, whispered old Billy in a
husky tone, Pm ended-and l don't know
how to go about making my will Can't
you tell me what you gwine to do wild dem
niggers ov yourn? You needn't be afraid
to gin 'em to me; I'm gwine to gin most on
'em to Betsey anyhow" Betsey was Old
Billy's only daughter, and namesake and
great favori;e of the old lady.
"Well, Mr.. l., you've always been
kind to me. I'll give em to you, and you
can Just place 'em on your children to your
own liking"
Put dat down, Captn Murry."
The Captain, being somewhat acquainted
with the forms in such cases, made and pro-
vided, wrote bill of sale, and silently mo-
toned to the old lady to sign it. When she
did so. the dying man exclaimed
Witness dat, Captin Murry"
The Captain signed his name as witness
to the paper. and laid it at the back of the
table, next to the bed, and prepared to write
the will Then seeing the dying man so
quiet, he thought it was stupor, and called
out to rouse him .r
I'm ready to write now, sir
Old Billy turned in his bed, took up the
paper and asked in a voice wonderfully i'm
proved . H'
rs dis good biler sale, Captin Murry?D
''Certainly-I think So
"Well, Nelly, look hind the press, and
bring dat ar bottle maybe Captin Murry d
like to take a little on it,
The Captain barely touched it to his lips,
then setting the bottle on the table, asked
"What shall | write?" ......r .....
"Why, Captin, I feel 'siderably 'leaved
I'll espone it day or two
Then sitting up on the bedside, he reach
ed out his hand to the bottle, and the COM
fort commenced running down his capacious
spirit-duct, at a rate, that if continued as
long as the moral law. would have made
common fish pond of the Atlantic Ocean,
Then slipping the bill of sale into his pock-
ct, Old Billy exclaimed, in a full, strong
voice. I...,..- .5r
We'll, Captin, if | keep on mendin' III
90 up to Carlton, in the mornin', and have
this here bill er sale corded Then let
Lem H be botherin me, I'll taught him
who them ar niggers long to-
Captain hurry "vamosed;'' = and even
now he goes into convulsions if any man
mentions the writing Of will.