Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-03

in dumb show, with bland smile upon
his countenance, while Mr.. News and Mr..
Roscoe between them dragged the out
ragged Addison to his seat, and proffered
him handkerchiefs to wipe his bleeding
nose.
James saw the whole thing and, for
getting his position, laughed too; and, for
some mysterious reason, with the laugh
his nervousness pissed away
The usher shouted '.Silenceln with ire
mendous energy, and before the sound
had died away James was addressing the
Court IN clear an vigorous voice. con.
sclous that he was a thorough master of
his case, and the words to state it in would
not fail him. Fiddlestick, Q. c., had saved
himl
May 1t please your Lordship,'' he be-
gan, the details of this case are of as re-
markable an order as any that to nv
knowledge have been brought before the
! Court. The plaintiff, Eustace Meeson, is
the sole next of kin of Jonathan Meeson.
Esquire, the late head OF the welI-known
Birmingham publishing firm of Meeson.
Addison, and Roscoe. Under a will. bear
ing date the Sth day of May, 1880. tbs
plaintiff was left sole heir to the great
wealth of his uncle-that is, with the ex-
ception of some legacies. Under a second
viii, now relied on by the defendants, and
dated the 10th of November, 1885, the plain
tiff was entirely diSinherited, and the pres
ent defendants, together with some six OF
eight legatees, were constituted the sole
benefciaries. On or about the I'D of De-
cember, 1885, however, the testator ex-
ecuted a third testamentary document,
under which the plaintiff takes the entire
property, and this is the document now
propounded. This testamentary document,
OF, rather, will-for I submit that it is in
every sense a properly executed Willis tat
tooed upon the shoulders" (Sensation in
court lis tattooed upon the shoulders of o
young lady, Miss Augusta Smithers. who
will presently be called before your Lord
ship; and to prevent any misunderstand-
ing, l may as well at once state that since
this event, this lady has become engaged
to be married to the plaintiff" (Renewed
sensation.)
''Such, my Lord, are the main outlines
OF the case that [ have to present for the
consideration of the Court, which l think
your Lordship will understand is of so re-
markable and Unprecedented nature
that l must crave your Lordship's indulg
ence if proceed to open it at some length,
beginning the history at it's commence
ment"
By this time James Short had comp lete
ly recovered his nerve, and was, indeed,
almost oblivious of the fact that there was
anybody present in the court, except the
learned Judge and himself Going back
to the beginning, he detailed the early his
tory of the relationship between Eustace
Meeson and his uncle. the publisher, With
which this record has nothing to do.
Thence he passed to the history of Angus
ta's relation with the firm of Meeson &
Co., which, as nearly everybody in the
court, not excepting the Judge, had read
Terminals Vow" was very interesting to
its auditors. Then he went on to the
scene between Augusta and the publisher,
and detailed how Eustace had interfered,
which interference had led to a violent
quarrel, resulting in the young mans dis
inheritance Passing on he detailed how
the publisher and the publishee had taken
passages in the same vessel, and the tragic
occurrences which followed down to Au-
gusta's final rescue and arrival in Eng
land, and finally ended his spirited open
ing by appealing to the Court not to allow
its mind to be influenced by the fact that
since these events the two chief actors had
become engaged to be married, which
struck him, he said, as a very fitting eli
max to SO romantic a story.
To be continued