Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-11-21
A PLOT FOR A NOVEL.
How a Young Tombstone Agent Charm
ed an Old Woman and has Willed
TO Him Untold Riches.

a gentleman in this city says tlit
Walla Walla Statesman tells story
that would do credit to many ficti
tious tales. "Truth is stranger thar
fctionn has been quoted so offer
that it is almost threadbare, but
like "Home, Sweet Home" it will
never lose its significance or forfeit
its truth. Very applicable is it tc
the present wonderful story:
Down in the Willamette valley
there resided an old farmer and his
wife, in every sense of the word
! happy and cOntented and withal
well-to-do. But there came upon
| that household very great grief
| the death anDel visited it and took
away its staff; the aged farmer went
to the nome of his fathers. This
left the old lady destitute and alone
The companion of her declining
years gone to his long rest, no chill
dren to make her poor heart glad,
she longed for some one in whom
to contide, to whom she could look
for help and comfort in her old age
and her decrepitude.
a young tombstone agent travel
ing over that part of the country and
being in search of dead people,
heard OF the death of her husband,
and, learning also of her well-filled
pockethoo :, decided to visit her at
her home and stay few days and
recuperate, having been travelling
pretty faithfully for some time. 1t
was his intention to make himself
az useful as possible to the sorrowing
lady and effectuaily work himself
into her confidence and esteem,
when he naturally expected to Sc
cure an order for a large and costly
monument. He accordingly did as
he mad planned and was more sue
cessful than he had even dared to
picture to himself, so much SO that
his hostess seemed to place the
greatest confidence in him. He
would carry i'm water, chop stove
wood, in fact do anything and
everything TO please her.
lie had been there but few days,
and WAS beginning to think of
bronching the subject of his fondest
hopes, when she astonished him one
day ut the dinner table in q way
that he had not even dreamed of.
She suddenly asked him: ado you
know what Pm going to do?" The
young man, of course, replied that
he did not. She then said slowly
and distinctly: "I'm going to will
all my property and money to you.
| like you and believe you are an
honorable young man, and one who
will take care of me in my old age.n
The young man, of course, tried to
reason with her, and urged the
pecuiiarity of such move, but she
still persisted in her determination
to make him her heir. When he
saw that she was determined IN the
matter, he agreed to do it with the
exception that she should deed it to
him for a consideration, so as to
avoid any complications with rela-
tives. The consideration was $40.
Thus ended most peculiar bargain.
The young man is living on the
farm with the old lady, managing
the farm and administering to her
wants with the tenderness of a son.
The property and money is estimat-
ed at about $50, 900. The names are
not published because the parties do
not desire publicity.
They can be found, however, at
their home any day persons curl
ously inclined desire to call
This is indeed II most remarkably
good plot for novel. For instance
the old folks could have lost boy
when very young, and this could
prove to be the long lost son, etc.,
etc, ad libtum, ad infinitum. We
merely suggest it; those who en-
gage in weaving tales can fix it up
to suit themselves.
The above has went the round of
the Sound papers and a day or so
ago the JOURNAL was in receipt
of letter from well-known
publishing house, inquiring as
to whether the parties were
known here or not, and whether, it
would be possible to obtain full and
complete particulars in the matter.
The JOURNAL made reply that no
such an occurrance happened near
Salem and that if the above case
was so, then it must more than like
ly have its headquarters near Eu-
gene.
n