News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-09-23
A WILD WESTERN YARN.
The Punishment of an Unnatural sOn-He
is Caught in the Trap He Sets for n
LAWYER.

About fifteen years ago set up as hop
as lawyer in young town in Nebras-
ka, and the very first case that came to
me was one to delight a lawyers heart.
An aged woman named Mary Sharon
had decided all her property to her son
William, on the understanding that he
was to support her and do so-and-so
during the rest of her life. After a year
or two he became anxious to get rid of
her, being vigorously encouraged by his
wife, and matters were made so hot for
the old lady that she could no longer
stay in the house. Indeed, she was
turned out of it, and but for the charity
of neighbors would have died of hunger
and exposure. While she had copy of
the agreement drawn in legal form and
good evidence in suit, none of the five
or six lawyers in town would take her
case because of fear of the son. Will
liam had given out that he would kill
any lawyer who meddled with the case,
and he had the record of being a des-
perate, revengeful man. When the
mother came to me she frankly warned
me that l must look out for Bill, but
when | had looked into the case l de-
termined to become her counsel, Bill or
no Bill. My first move was to send for
the son, to see if he desired to carry out
his agreement. He came into my Office
in a staggering, defiant way, having a
revolver buckled to him and three drinks
of whiskey behind his vest buttons He
cursed the mother, me, the law, and all
else, and wound up with:
''Now, then, you go ahead The
Won MAKO from h1a for 1'll
make corpse of you"
"And now you look here, " answered,
as brought six-shooter to cover his
head. I'm in this case to the bitter
end, and whenever you feel like shoot
ing don't wait for me to begin"
Bill was a boaster and a coward He
turned white us flour. and became as
humble as lamb. He went out of the
office like cur, but knew the feeling
raging in his heart, and realized that
he would bring about my death if he
could do it with safety to himself. had
the proper papers served and the suit
opened. Bill made his threats and
boasts, but kept clear of me. expected
he would fill up some day and come into
town for a shooting scrape, but he had
another plan to work on. We had
sue case, as his friends informed me,
but he was determined to buster it out.
My office was over a store, and reached
by outside stairs. There was a front
and a back room, and the latter, | being
a bachelor, was used for my bedroom.
1t was the fashion to leave all dools open
during the day, and when | left my
office on any GRAND, or to go to court, it
was not locked. When it became known
around that l had taken Mrs Sharon's
case, and bluffed her son Bill, l had
plenty of small buslne to look a ter,
and was much of the time in the Jus ices
Courts.
One day, just before the big suit was
to come to trial, | went into court on an
ordinary suit, and was detained three or
four hours. The office was left open as
usual AS 1 returned to it, three or four
citizens accompanied me, and as we
reached the foot of the stairs we heard
terrible yell from the rooms above.
Next moment Bill Sharon came rushing
down the narrow stairs hatless eyes
starting from their sockets, and such a
look of terror on his face as l never saw
before or since. He rushed past US,
shrieking and yelling, and it was only
when he was clear of US that we made
out the horrible truth. Two great rat
were hanging to him-one by
the night wrist and the other by the right
leg. They squirmed and twisted and
Topped as he ran, and his screams and
ordinations brought out the whole
town. He ran about a block and then
lay down in the street and rolled over
and over, and the snakes let go of him
and were killed as they crawled away.
Bill had been bitten in three places.
The only antidote suggested was wills
key, and a good two quarts were poured
down him without the slightest relief.
1t did not in the least sfupefy him or
quiet his excited condition. and IN an
hour he was dead-hls bloated body and |
purple face presenting horrible sight.
1t did not take much headwork to dis |
cover how it all came about. Bill wanted |
revenge on me, and his plan was to leave
the rattlesnakes in my bedroom. He |
had taken them there in a box after
seeing that the coast was clear, and had |
dumped them cut on the floor The box
was there to prove it. In his haste to
be gone he had been careless, and as the
Serpents were loosened they turned on
him and fastened their fangs in his flesh.
1t was retributlon, but none of US could
help but pity his horrible fate