Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-03-03
NO. Is.
LEAP YEAR IN VIRGINIA.


! ginia with good deal Of spirit and
with conscientious regard for detail
which is not common in other parts Of
the country. In fact, there has just oc.
Cured in the little village of Onancock,
in the Old Dominion, a Leap Year ep-
isode which decidedly eclipses any
thing that has yet been developed else
where, and which is likely to have
very melancholy results.
There lived, it seems, in Onancock,
beautiful and accomplished young
man by the name of Brown-Beniamin
Brown Mr. Brown having, besides
personal charms of high order, the adj
vantage of being of excellent family
and irreproachable character, his soci-
ETY. has naturally enough been much
sought during the gay season just
passed, and there was hardly night
that he was not in attendance upon
ball, party, or social gathering of some
kind Among those who were most as
siduous in their attentions upon Mr..
Brown were two spirited young persons
named Louisa Wise and Margaret
Bowling. Either one or the other bore
the fair and blushing Benjamin off in
triumph to every entertainment which
occurred, and it soon became apparent,
and matter Of general comment in the
village, that Miss Wise and Mis- Dow
ling We're ardent rival suitors for the
first place in Mr. Browns affections.
In fact, SO sharp did the rivalry become
that no one or two occasions the hot
headed young fellows. We're with diff
Guilty restrained from falling upon each
other in public places and settling their
differences according to the rules of the
prize ring.
1t may be well imagined that this
state of affairs was mortifying in the
extreme to Mr.. Brown. With all those
little tricks and arts for which his sex
is noted he endeavored to appease the
anger of the by this time thoroughly
infuriated rivals. Indeed, his conduct
under the very delicate circumstances
was commendable throughout, and, so
far as can be learned, entirely free from
coquettishness or flippancy. He scru-
pulously avoided giving Wise more en-
couragement than Dowling, or Dow
ling mere than Wise. If either of the
two had really succeeded in awakening
in his bosom emotions of tender ma
ture he carefully concealed the fact
doubtless fearing to precipitate o crisis
which could not fail to in a certain de-
gree compromise his But it was all in
vain. The blood of Wise and the blood
of Bowling were thoroughly up and
the explosion came.
1t was at a ball The blushing
Brown was swinging in the mazy
dance with the dashing Wise, when
suddenly Bowling, with livid face
and eyes flashing fire, confronted them.
Then there followed a scene. Wise and
Bowling glared at each other and
clinched. Mr.. Brown screamed. Confu-
sion and uproar followed, and it was
only after sharp tussle that the en-
ragged rivals were separated. Miss
Wise, somewhat mussed but not seri-
ously hurt, bore the shrinking, trem-
bling Brown to his home, and Bowling
disappeared. But it was evident the
matter was not to rest there. And it
did not.
Early the next morning Miss Wise
received note from Miss Bowling
asking her to call at Miss Dowling's
house. Miss Wise did as requested.
Miss Bowling, the moment Miss Wise
appeared, seized murderous-looking
club she had in readiness and made a
blow at the head of her rival which
must unquestionabiy have ended the
dispute then and there had it taken eff
feet. Miss Wise fed to the garden pur-
sued by the bloodthirsty Bowling, and,
finding pitchfork in her way, picked
it up and turned upon her assailant.
Then followed one of the most appal-
ling duels on record The club of Dow
ling fell like a sledge hammer upon
the head of Wise. The cruel prongs of
Wise's pitchfork pierced the breast of
Dowling Both the combatants drop
ped to the earth, only to rise and go at
it with renewed fury Time after time
was Wise felled by Dowling's club,
and time after time was Bowling
gashed and torn by Wise's pitchfork.
The battle ragged with unrelenting fury
until each combatant dropped in her
tracks, fainting from loss of blood.
When they were picked up by their
horrifed friends it was found that the
head of Miss Wise was beaten to q
jelly, and that the face, hands, arms,
and breast of Miss Bowling were
pierced through and through by the
murderous pitchfork. Both the unfor
tunate young ladies are now in criti-
cal condition, and the innocent cause of
their trouble, Mr. Benjamin Brown, has
fled from the scene. And that is the
way they attend to Leap Year duties
down in Old Virginia.