Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-12-07
vsstriloqaism snd kaavery.

SSsS8 SoN A~evSSy'
A death-bed coofessioa q Q very q.
traordinAsy character he's recently bssu
made public il The AourishinG littls
town Of Abesdsea. Indiana. Some
twenty yeers aeo, when Xberdssn -
Q villAgs OF not moro than four or i've
thousand iahsbitants. . certain Mr..
James Barbour Owned there thriving
farm valued 1t between fifty and sixty
thousand dollars. Mr.. Barbour vea
unmarried but . tavorits nephew named
John L. Strickland bad for some years
resided under his roof.
AT the ago Of eighteen, Strickland,
Who had received . fair common school
education. was noted for many preco-
cious talents. Among other accom-.
plishments he possessed remarkable
skill at slight of-hand, Vas Q veritable
wizard in his msnipulations of cards.
and had frequently been known to
stArtle assemblages Of Observers by his
clever manual tricks. He contracted
habits Of dissipation. however. and
finally. falling under his uncle's dis.
pleasure, was expelled from the house.
During several years young Strick-
land disappeared totally from Aber-
deem, only re-sppearing there during
the last hours Of his uncle's final ILL
ness. Old Mr.. Barbour, while lying
nearly speechless upon his death bed,
permitted his nephew to visit him.
In attendance upon the old gentleman
we're two OF his nieces, in whose favor
Mr.. Barbour bad, some months before,
made his last will and testament.
Feigning the most sincere penitence,
Strickland insisted upon relieving the
watch Of his two cousins at the couch
OF the dying man.
One night he awoke the ladies, in q
state of evident mental trepidation,
with the announcement that "Uncle
James seemed terribly low, and had
something that he very much desired
to say before Witnesses" The two
cousins hurried to the death cham Der,
and found it quite solemnly darkened,
with Strickland standing beside his
uncle's bed.
Emma and Elisabeth are both here
Uncle James," Strickland now said.
us there anything which you especially
wish to communicate ?"
Amid the dimness of the silent cham.
Der Mr.. Barbour's voice, very much en-.
feebled yet perfectly articulate, now
sounded. He informed those gathered
about him that he had forgiven his
scapsgoat nephew, and desired that
Strickland should inherit the bulk OF
his property, and that his recent will
should be destroyed then and there.
The will was now, at the dying man g
apparent direction, brought from O
near bureau and destroyed by the elder
OF the two nieces, both OF whom we're
intensely conscientious girls, and only
too anxious to respect the wishes Of
their failing relative.
John will always take care of you,
and be good to you, girls, until you
marry; am sure of that"
These, as it seemed, were the last
words uttered by Mr.. Barbour; for, o
few moments later, John Strickland,
while leaning over his uncle's dimly-
seen face, suddenly. exclaimed:
Hes gone"
And. on turning up the light, it was
indeed discovered that Mr.. Barbour
was dead. The will being destroyed,
sua -2hA sxn--niaoas failing -thoronghly
confident that they had listened to the
wishes Of their uncle, put forward no
claim Whatever to the property, which
passed vt once into Strickland's hands.
In the course Of time the ladies mar.
ried, and Strickland married also. The
LATTER became very respectable Nom.
Der Of Aberdeen society, and last July,
at the comparatively early age of forty
eight, died after q brief illness.
A day before his death, however,
Strickland confided to a friend Of his,
Mr.. Harris F. Briggs, a written confess
sion which he desired to have shown
his two cousins, now both residents OF
different States. This confession, he
declared, would account for the will
which he had made, bequeathing all his
property to those ladies', and defraud.
Ing his own vito and children Of their
lust inheritance. When he had called
his two cousins to the dying mans bed
side, Strickland declares, in this same
confession, Mr.. Barbour had already
ceased to breathe for ten good minutes.
The words which their uncle seemed
to speak usrs not uttered by him at all,
but we're the artfr! result of his own
(Strickland's) ventriloQuism. The dim.
ness Of the room aided him in his de-
fusion, and he had actually, to all in
tents and purposes, made dead man
speak. Repentance for his knavish
act. the writer of the confession fur
Their stated, had at last driven him to
make becoming amends.
Or hearing Of the document in Mr..
Briggs possession, Mrs. Strickland has
utterly denied it as the work Of her
late husband. The married nieces,
however, insist upon its authority,
laugh ct the idea Of its being forgery,
and very pretty lawsuit Low threatens
TO be carried on for Q long period.
Il u said that both contestants will have
what lawyers call . fair case, though
there 10 NO doubt Of Strickland having
been long known - . skilled ventrilo-
ouist, which 10 Of course point against
the cause OF his irste widow.
Do THIxos IN TIME.-Only two or
three inches; that WAS ell. II the
svitohman had moved the track only
thst little distance, al would have been