The Springfield herald., 1909-11-05

There is no doubt that Rastus G.
Diggs Is one of the most prominent
colored citizens Of Betzville, but he is
a mean man. and we are glad to learn
that he received his just deserts last
Thursday.
About six years ago Rastus married
Angelica Petaluma johnson, noted all
through this county for her large.
level-topped feet, and all went merry
as a marriage bell until about two
years ago, when old Mrs. Johnson
came to live with them. AS soon as
his mother-in-law entered the house
the mean nature of Rastus made itself
conspicuous. for he did nothing but
pick on her all day long. Mrs. An
gelica Petaluma johnson did all she
could to protect her poor old moth
er, who was deaf as post, and every
night that winter, after Rastus had
been cruel to her mother she would
put one of her large. cold gh.-brown
feet in the middle of his back until he
had the shivers, and then she would
give him a shove and land him up
against the wall on the other side of
the room. In this way she exerted a
mild and restraining influence on her
husband, as good wife should, but
when she died, about year ago, Ras-
tus was perfectly unrestrained, and
remarked that he had supported his
mother-in-law in Incidence long
enough, and now he was going to get
some work out of her.
His mother-in-law was a weak, little
woman with no muscle at ALL and SO
deaf she could not hear anything;
but Rastus had none of the finer feel
ings Of man. He let her know that
she would have to answer the door
bell from that time on, although she
was SO feeble she could hardly totter
and the way he arranged 1t was mean
ness itself
AS she could not hear the bell, he
rigged up a shelf on hinges, with a
catch at one end, and he fastened the
wire from the door fell onto the catch.
Then he put a 24-pound cannon ball
on the shelf, and every time any one
pulled the door bell the catch slipped
and the shelf turned over and the
cannon ball fell six feet and half to
The floor and shook the house SO that
the windows ratified. Mrs. Johnson
could not hear 1t, but she could feel
when she felt the jar she had to
run to the door and open it. And
lfter she had opened the door she had
@ go-feeble as she was-and put the
cannon ball back on the shelf, to be
ready for the next time. 1t was hard
work for the poor old thing, but she
7ad to obey, because she was so feeble
and Rastus was big. strong man.
1t gave Rastus a great deal of
and pull the door bell and then run be.
tore Mrs. Johnson could reach the
door, 80 that she had her work for
nothing, but the meanest thing he did
was to slyly push her chair back un.
til 1t was directly under the shelf
When the bell was pulled, then, the
cannon ball would fall Immediately on
Mrs. Johnson's head, and she would
know the bell had been pulled, even If
she was asleep at the time.
Mrs. Johnson had a strong. durable
head, and usually the cannon ball
would bounce of 1t without harming
her. but it was annoying to be awak-
ened frooa a sound sleep, and once or
twice the cannon ball bounced into
Ger lap and hurt her hands. 1t was
after one of these times that she took
TO wearing mittens, even in hot wealth
er when mittens are annoying and
heat up the hands, but Rastus did not
care. He seemed to have lost the
bner instincts of man, and when Mrs.
Johnson had become SO used to hav-
ing the cannon ball alight on her head
that 1t did not awaken her. he went
and bought a 50-pound one. This
awakened her nearly every time, but
she did not say anything. because he
was a strong man and she was only
feeble old lady.