The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-10

fences when the man fred the irst
shot. He had taken pains TO spread
the news that he was going to remove
us TO other climes.
An investigation by the coroner and
his jury proved the following facts:
The name Of the deceased was Nitric
Acid Jim.
His residence. II he had any, was
Salt Lake.
For mouths he had been sending us
anonymous letters TO the effect that he
intended to wipe US of the face OF the
earth.
lie had arrived at the Gulch that
morning armed with two guns and a
big knife and had called at both the
Kicker and the postoffice before com
ing in search OF us at the graveyard.
He did not intend to give us a
chance for our life, as his firing from
ambush showed, apd he had hitched
his broncho near at hand in order to
make n quick and safe escape.
When half a dozen witnesses of the
affair had been sworn the jury re-
turned the following verdict:
I'VE find that Nitric Acid Jim came
TO his death from q bullet fred from
the gun Of Mr.. Jim Heso.
And that in the firing of said bullet
the said Mr.. Helso was legally and
morally justified.
"And that, while we sympathize TO
an extent with the disappointment
that the said Nitric Acid must have
suffered, we feel It our duty to warn
all others Of like kind that the said
Mr.. Helso is lightning on the draw
and crack shot.
"And that the only way to success.
fully kill him IL 20 get him TO stop at
some hotel and coax him to blow out
the gas on himself.
"And that we shall continue to look
upon it as one Of the mysterious puz-
zles of Providence that the man bent
on assassination should come to the
very spot where he was to be himself
inferred.
"And that we recommend Mr.. Helso
to follow his usual course in this in
stance-that is, to plant the deceased
at his expense and ride at the head of
the funeral procession when It comes
off"
Followed Suggestions by Jury.
We at once set about following out
the suggestions of the jury. Nitric
Acid Jim's casket cost us $40: we
turned out FIVE carriages at So each;
the gravedigging was $40, and the
drinks for the mourners the same
sum. The headstoue will cost thirty
and the shrubbery five more. He was
laid away yesterday with all donors,
and we can do no more for him. We
do not believe that another editor in
the world would have done as much.
There is no feeling of elation on
our part that we have planted our
nineteenth On the contrary, we are
grieved-grieved that we have had to
do 1t. Nitric Acid Jim had name to
conjure with. He could have been
cock of the walk in some other town.
He might have been candidate for
office and found no one bold enough to
run In opposition to such a name. He
HhiShL nave even eDleIeu Journalism
and ripped things TO ribbons.
The man had heard of us. He should
have known of the other eighteen. He
shouldn't have had such overweening
confidence In himself There is al
ways a sadness in seeing a fellow man
go out to shear and come back with
out his own wool.
The broncho and the weapons be.
longing to Nitric Acid Jim will be held
by the coroner for sixty days while
waiting for any relative to arrive and
claim them. If none show up they
will be sold at auction for the benefit
of the widow and orphan fund. If
father or brother arrive we hope for
the privilege Of sitting down with them
and telling them just how It happened
and then taking them out to the grave
yard and pointing the moral We can
speak without the slightest feeling
against the deceased. He was simply
one of the thousands who make daily
mistakes. 1t looked like the easiest
thing in the world to drop into town
and Gil us full Of lead and then drop
out again, but 1t just didn't turn out
that way, NJ OTTAD