Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-11
A LAWYERS STORY.
The Retribution Which Was Melted Out TO
an Unnatural Son.

an Unnatural Son.
About fifteen years ago 1 set up
shop as lawyer in a young town in
Nebraska, says writer in the New
York San, 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 understand
ing that he was to support her. and do
so-and-so during the rest of her life.
After Year or two he became anxious
to get rid of her, being vigorously en-
couraged by his wife, and matters
were 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 agree
ment 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.
William had given out that he would
kill any lawyer who would NEEDLE
with the case, and he had the record of
being desperate. revengeful man.
When the mother came to me she
frankly warned me that | must look
out for Bill, but when | looked into the
case | determined to become her
counsel, Bill or no Bill. My fir stmove
was to send for the son and see if he
desired to carry out his agreement.
He came into my Office in q swagger-
ing, defiant way, having 4 revolver
buckled to him and three drinks of
whisky behind his vest buttons. He
cursed the mother, me, the law, and
all else, and wound up with:
''Now, then, you 90 ahead. The
minute you make trouble for me I'll
make a corpse of you"
''And now you look here,n 1
answered, as brought a six-shooter
to cover his head, I'm in this case to
the bitter end, and whenever you feel
like shooting don't wait for me to be-
GIN
Bill was boaster and coward. He
turned white as flour, and became as
humble as a lamb. He went out of the
office like cur, but l 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- l expect
ed he would fill up some day and come
into town for a shooting scrape, but
he had another plan to work on. We
had a sure case, as his friends informed
me, but he was determined to buster
it out.
My office was over store and reached
by outside stairs. There was a front
and back room, and the latter,
being bachelor, was used for my bed
room. 1t was the fashion to leave all
doors open during the day, and when
| left my office on any errand or to 90
to court it was not locked. When it
became known around that l had taken
Mrs. Sharon's case and bluffed her son
Bill had plenty of small business to
look after and was much of the time in
the justices 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 | returned to it three or
four citizens accompanied me, and as
we neared 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 | never saw before or since.
He rushed past US, shrieking and yell
ing, and it was only when he was
clear of US that we made out the
horrible truth. Two great rattlesnakes
were hanging to him-one by the
right wrist and the other by the right
leg. They squirmed and twisted
and Topped as he ran, and his screams
and EXPLANATIONS brought out the
whole town. He ran about block,
and then lay down in the street and
rolled over and over, and the snakes
let 90 of him and were killed as they
crawled away.
Bill had been bitten in three places.
The only antidote suggested was
whisky, and a good two quarts were
poured down him without the slightest
relief 1t did not in the least stupefy
him nor quiet his excited condition
and in an hour he was dead-his
bloated body and purple face pre-
senting a horrible sight. 1t did
not take much headwork to discover
how it 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 out 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 retribution, but
none of us could help but pity his
hOIs~i ble fate