Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1888-11-03
Mr.. Meeson' 5. VIII.
By h. RIDER HAaaARn

By B. RIDER HAaaARn
So Augusta had to descend, and 'sloNlY
walk along the ranks. stopping before
every learned leader to be carefully ex.
amined, while hundreds Of eager eyes in
the background were fixed upon her un.
fortunate shoulders. However. at last It
came to an end.
.'That win do. Miss Smithers. " said the
Judge, for whose consideration she felt
deeply grateful; 'you can put on your
cloak again now" Accordingly abe
clothed herself, and re-entered the box.
"The document which you have Just
shown the court, Miss Emithers," said
James, els tho ono which was executed
upon your back In Kerguelen Land on or
about the ED day Of December, last
year9"
1T is"
ut was, I understand, executed in the
presence Of the testator and the two ut
testing witnesses, III three being present
together, and the signature Of each being
tattooed In the pressnce IL Tho otherf"
WAS the tcstator, 50 far rs you could
Judge a: tho time Of the dictstion and
SAos"~v0 ~ S.o VIZ. VI boUuA mIQu,
"Most certainly no was"
Ibid you, beyond the sunrestions OF
which you have alreadygivs4 evidence, In
any way unduly influence the testator's
m}pd, 80 as to Induce him to INTO this
wil9' ~ A
II did not"
"And to those facts you swsars"
"Ido."
Then he passed on to the history Of the
death Of the two sailors who had sttssted
the will, and to the aeeopnt Of Augustus.
ultimate RESCUE, finally closing his exam.
instion In chief Just is the clock struck
four, wherein the court adjourned till the
following day.
As may be- Imagined, though things had
gone fairly well 80 far, nobody concerned
Of q party passed an ovsroomfortable
night. Tho strain was too great to I'D.
NIT Of 1t, and really they were eli glad to
find themselves In the oourt-which was,
II possible, even moro crowded on the
following morning-alled with the hone
that the day mi ht SEQ the matter decided
n way or the Other.
A. soon q the judge had come in Au.
gusta resumed her place In tho witness
box and the attorney general rose to
cf~069-ox4n1po her.
''You told tho court, Miss smithers, at
the conclusion Ct your evidence, that You
are now engaged to be married to Mr..
Meeson, the plaintiff. Now. lam sorry
to h.ye 70 ppt apersopa1 question to you,
but Imustask, yTtu, were you, ct tho time
Il It, t1 %. t:ssGSans OF the WILL in love with
This was q homo thrust, and poor Au.
~l~$o AatA.nI .r~ hAnn>AA a. -Sk~- -
native wit came to her cid.
II yen III define; sir, what being in
q iSss /; i T s5e % sa ~ Is Ws. e :91 r. :ss SSr
enee. Including Els iosdship, smiled.
as we'll be- might, Tor there ase a1 some
things which de beyond the Learning Of
eve1:an attorney general.
"Wel," he said, "were you matrimo.
nially INCLINED toward Mr.. Meesontt"
'Surely, Mr.. Attorney General" said
the judge, "the one thin does not neces.
sarily include the other"
II bow to your lordship's experience."
said NJ. Attorney, tartly. Perhaps I
had better put my question this way
Had You, at that time, any prospect Of be.
coming engaged to the plaintiff"
"None whatever"
"Did you submit to this tattooing.
which must have been painful, with q
view of becoming engaged to the plain.
Certainly not. l may point out" sho
added, with hesitation, ''tlat such e dis.
fgurement is not likely to add to any.
bedy's attractions"
':Please answer my question:, Miss
Smithers, and do not comment On them.
How did you come, then. to submit your.
self to such a disagreeable ope,4tionf'
II submitted to it because ] Thought It
right to do SO, there being no other ap
parent means at hand of attaining IT,.
late Mr.. Nelson's end. Aso'-and che
paused.
"Also WHAT"
"Also / had a regard for Mr.. Eustacs
Meeson, and knew that he had lost his
inheritance through q quarrel about my
! SELF"
"Ah! now we are coming to it. Thcn
you were tattvosd out Of regard for thv
plaintiff. and not purely In tho interests
Of jnsticet"
eyes; Isuppose So"
"Well, Mr.. Attorney" interposed the
judge, land what II she vast"
my object, my lord, was to show that
this young lady was not the purely Inn
passive medium. in this matter that nv
learned friend, MI. Short, would lead tho
court to believe. She was acting from,
motive"
Most people do" said the Judge.
dryly. "But 1t does not follow that ths
motive was an improper one"
Then the learned gentleman continued
his cross-examinatiop, directing all til.
ingenuity Of his practiced mind to trying
to prove by Augustus admissions, first,
that the testator was acting undor tho
undue influence Of herself; and, secondly.
that when the will was executed no was
non compos mentis. To this end he dwelt
at great length on every detail Of tho
events between the tattooing Of tho Will
and the death Of the testator on tho fol.
lowing day, making as much as was DOS.
sible out OF the fact that he disd in q dt Of
mania. But, do what he would, he could
not shake her evidence upon my material
point, and when, ct last. she sat down.
James Short felt that his case had not re-.
cetved any serious blow.
Then. q few more questions having been
asked In cross-exandnetion by various
other counsel, James rose to II. examine.
and, with the object of rebutting tho ore.
sumption Of the testator's mental un.
soundness, made Augusta repeat ill the
details of the confession that the late pub.
Usher had made 10 her rs regards his
methods Of trading. It was beautiful to
SEQ the fury und horror portrayed upon
the c~ountenances Of the cholerio Mr.. Ad.
Olson and the cadaverous Mr.. Roscoe when
they saw the most cherished secrets Of