The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-04-03
A Marriage OF Inconvenience.

hOSue5 Attorney U5herdl on Ine
Blackhaw circuit, His clients were
principally knayes and and simple
tons; the former he helped to swindle,
and the latter he swindled, To
which class Zimri Bezel belonged we
leave the reader to judge after hear
ing our story.
Mr.. Bezel did a thriving business
as jeweler, till bad times came, and
bills came in faster than he was able
to pay. He hoped to pull through,
if people would only wait a little; but
bad times are precisely those when
people won't wait.
In an evil hour he bethought him
sci of Wiley Griskett, and went to
him for counsel.
Instead of advising a frank disclos-
ure of the debtoa's circumstances, as
an honest lawyer would have done,
Mr.. Griskett, set to work in his own
peculiar way.
"What's the value of your stock
and assots2" he inquired
"Thirty thousand dollars" Mr.. Bez-
el answered.
"And your debts amount to
twenty-five thousand"
snake your notes for forty thous-
and"
Bezel opened his eyes.
"That's a good deal more than 1
owe,' he answered; besides, the cred
itors won't accept notes2"
81 don't say you should make them
to your creditors"
"Shamboy & Co."
"But l don't know them," replied
Bezel.
"No more do l." returned Griskett
with wink. "NIakc out the notes
and then run away. AS attorney for
Messrs. shamboy & Co., a highly
respected firm in a distant city
here another wink-'I take out an
attachment as against an absconding
debtor cut ahead of everybody, COB
BILE ap the whole property, and pri-
vately remit you the proceeds, retain
ing, of course, a reasonable fee"
st will give you breathing time"
-sl,o-seu1ptor -,rlpioporesl, ON
your legs again you will be able to
pay your honest debts"
Many a man has been led to steal
by the same delusive hope ofone day
making restitution; but none the less
was he a thief and none the less was
zimri Bezel swindler in consenting
to follow the advice of Wiley Grisk'
EFT.
What a race there was among the
lawyers the day Bezel's place was
found closed and the proprietor miss
ing. Writs came out as fast as busy
pens could draft them, but that Of
Shamboy & Co., thanks to their at
torneys vigilance, was in the sheriff's
hands an hour before the rest. 1t
swept everything, of course, to the
great disgust of those to whom there
was nothing left but to grumble.
But grumbling was of little use
against the notes for forty thousand
dollars bearing the signature, pro,
duced on behalf of Shamboy & Co.,
by Mr.. Wiley Griskett,
Mr.. Griskett pushed matters as rap,
idly us legal form would permit
Bezels' effect were sold for about the
sum at which he had valued them,
Griskett recoipted for the amount in
his clients name, and pocketed it
with an inward chuckle while. out
wardly bcmoaning the large balance
still left due to Messrs. Shamboy &
Co.,
Within month came the news of
zimri Bezel's suicide. Day after day
he had visited the post office Of the
country village in which he had tax
en- refuge to inquire for letters, None
came-none ut least from Wiley Girls,
kett-and one day on receiving the
usual answer, the poor dupe put a
pistol to his head and blew his brains
out.
Zimri Bezel's widow was an ccccn.
trio little body, and honest to the
core. She felt keonly her husbands
flight and failure, and would have