The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-12-05

n job Of It. but he refused to see the
| humor In our remarks. He then an.
nounced that he had come n distance
of hundred miles to shoot us into the
other land and ordered us TO elevate
our hands. Up they went Any editor
In this part of the west who is worthv
OF the name con talk with his hands
up as well as down.
We tried to. be entertaining to our
| caller. We told him two or three good
jokes and hoped to see him laugh with
us, but he continued to treat the mat
ter as a serious affair We had just
started in on the best yarn of all when
he called time on us and began baz-
ing away. Why he didn't gather us to
our fathers and leave the only good
weekly paper in this country editor
less is wonder to us, for lie was only
| eight feet away. Even as the bullets
cut our clothing and whlzzed by our
| ears we said to Oursef that II was
mighty poor shooting for holy terror
to do
We had distance of six feet to go
and then to pull gun from its holster,
and our first shot was fired as Mr.
Spooner fred his last. No second was
needed. He went down. and he ex-
pired while breathing out the words:
"Why didn't ] come In and attack
him with u crowbar"
OF course it was case for the coro-
ner, and that official was soon on the
spot and his jury summoned. Our of
flee devil had seen the last of the
fracas, and the late deceased had
boosted on the street Of what he was
going to do. At the end of half an
hour a verdict of justifable homicide
was rendered and the body removed.
We have had but one policy ever since
the first man was planted In our pri-
vate editorial graveyard. We have
always paid all funeral expenses and
taken n carriage at the head of the
procession. Later on we have erected
tombstones with lamps on top and
d. decorated the graves until they were
pleasant and artistic objects TO con-
template.
Nothing was found on the body of
the deceased to show that he had a
living relative. All that was discover.
ed In his pockets consisted of few
shillings in change, a dozen extra car
tridges and poem entitled Bury Me
Meath the Willow" This had been cut
from a newspaper, and 1t looked as If
the deceased had read It over many
times 1t seemed to show that he had
deep feeling of sentiment way down
in his heart. after all.
Laid Him TO Rest.
On Thursday we saw the mistaken
man laid in his last resting place. He
brought the number of mounds In our
graveyard up to nineteen. but there
was no feeling of exultation in our SOU
as we looked around.
Some editors would have strIven tc
turn the affair to their benefit In the
way of increased subscriptions and ad
vertlslng. but not so with us. We have
ever kept the two things apart. We
, take advertising at regular rates. anG
we remove men who seek to remove
us. and even If 1t does occur under tho
: same roof we keep the accounts sep
arate.
Mr.. Spooner had large and liberia
: funeral There was nothing to mai
the harmony of the occasion. II was
a cloudless day, and his coffin cost $25
to say nothing of the gravedigglnl
and the hacks. We also gave the Off
ciatlng minister FIVE dollar bill, ant
he was pleased to praise our straight
shooting and to observe Mt the grave
that the deceased would never more
know WEAKNESS and pain.
A week hence we shall erect a tomb
stone over the grave of our mistaken
brother, and next spring the trailing
arbutus will he taught to trail DER tn,
mound covering him In.
We don't think he was II bad man a
heart, but was simply mistaken In hi
mission here on earth. He thought |
was to remove an Arizona editor, bu
: 1t was more likely to have been to rul
sawmill
We have no word of criticism. on
must take this life as one thinks best
: Mr.. Spooner may have decided In hi
: own mind that the holy terror busI
ness Just fitted him. He might hav
, made an even greater failure at any
! thing else. We are sorry that we coul
, not bury him under willow, but tha
!. kind of tree does not flourish here II
!. shall have n cottonwood in place Of Il
and we shall personally see to 1t tina
q 1t is enriched aud watered and made
q thing OF beauty on the landscape.
, NJ OIJAD