The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-19
THEN PUSSY WAS POISONED.
Revenge Taken on the Chicken
RaiSer's Pup.
AN IDYL OF ALAMEDA LIFE.
High Spirited Ladies Will Appear in
Court to Explain Why They
Killed Each Others Pets.

i've known her ever since she was q
girl, and she's % if she's a day, and she's
had three husbands to my certain knowl
edge. and she poisoned my dog, she did,
and my next-door neighbor has lost sixty
chickens and she's threatened to poison
my horse, and had the law on her"
In such short, trenchant terms does
Mrs. Severance of Clement avenue. Ala
media, sum up her grievances against Mrs.
Anita Ticono of 1917 Everett street, Ala
media, and explain why she invoked the
aid of Justice Swasey 10 defend her rights.
AS matter of fact the topography OF the
town lots at the spot mentioned is admir-
rably adapted for the purposes of warfare
between two high-spirited women. Mrs.
Ticono's back yard touches the back yard
of Mrs. Severance, and when Mrs. Ticono
stands on her back porch her whitening
remarks Just reach Mrs. Severance when
she's sitting in her front parlor sewing.
Added to this that Mrs. Severance likes
chickens and pigeons aud that Mrs. TicOno
has a menagerie of cats that also like Mrs.
Severance's chickens, and if there is not
here all the requisites for feminine war
there never has been.
Now, Mrs. Severance has only been on
Clement avenue four months. and no
sooner did she arrive there than Mrs. APP
pei, her kiDd-hearted neighbor on the
other side, leaned over her back fence
and said, as she counted Mrs. SeYerance's
chickens:
"Mrs. Severance. you'll never be able
to raise chickens here; Mrs. Ticono's cats
will kill them"
well. they'd better not be after my
chickens" said Mrs. Severance. "for if
they do I'll cat Them
Notwithstanding this horrible threat.
which should have restrained the most
sanguinary of felines. Mrs. Ticono's cats
did kill a flock of Mrs. Seyerance's
chickens.
The owners complaints had no effect
and when she threatened to poison the
cats she was told TO go ahead. Then
another flock OF Mrs. Sevorance's chickens
disappeared. Stung to point beyond all
bearing Mrs. Severance sirightway poi
soned one of the aforesaid cats Of the
TIcono mansion. Thereupon Mrs. Ticono
would plant herself in the calm OF the
evening on her back porch and chant the
legedd: "You have poisoned my cat. have
you, Mrs. Severance, but I'll poison your
dog for that"
Sure enough. one evening the Severance
pup made dash under the Severance sofa
and began in a business like way to die.
instantly the head of the Severance house
hold seized the animal and poured quart
of sweet oil down its throat.
The neigh bors came in, and following
their various prescriptions the dog was
successfully given castor oil, coffee, tea.
ammonia, salt and water and asaietida.
Despite all these efforts the dog died. Be-
ing wise as a serpent if gentle as lamb
Mrs. Severance said nothing of the affair.
and then Mrs. TicOno would get out on
the back porch as usual and say:
Aha! you have poisoned my cat. Mrs
Severance, but l will poison your horse"
This was too much for Mrs. Severance to
stand Putting on her new bonnet she
visited Justice Swasey, and he was so i'm
pressed with the gravity of the affair that
he ADVISED her to sue out complaint un-
der the section that covers threats against
life. All this occurred week ago.
Mrs. TicoDo was arraigned and pleaded
not guilty, and was released on her own
recognizance. The case will come up for
trial without fail. for Mrs. Severance SAYS
she Will not bring her horse TO the place
until Mrs. Ticono is restrained or explains
The meaning of her threats. Its her man
Santiago who laid the poison In cly yard"
says Mrs. Severance, coming in to find
his Ratchet which he said he had dropped
over the back fence. He told me l should
Kill the cat for its depredations, but wont
let Mrs. Ticon0 kill my horse"
AS for Mrs. Ticono she denies killing
the dog and says Mrs. Severance exag-
gerates about the threats. Mrs. Tieono
has had an eventful history. She married
early a cOffee-planter named Ticono, who
died suddenly, and then she married his
brother.
This TiconO also died and the widow
soothed her sorrow by marrying a man
named Jones, who has vanished out of her
lie In some way. She is good looking,
apparently about % years OF age and well
educated. She says she has no grudge
against Mrs. Severance's horse. bet AYERS
that there is not the slightest doubt that
Mrs. Severance killed her cat. So the
matter STANDS. and justice alone can judge
between the two. An attempt has been
MADE TO settle the matter out of court, but
without success, and the Alameda gossips
are looking forward TO some racy testi-
mony when the history of the Ticono-
severance vendetta comes TO be told in
court.