The Butler weekly times., 1912-08-08
AN OLD WO-
MANS WILL
BY M. QUAD
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press

village of Rowland as old Mrs. Craii
She was a widow when she came thert
and she was widow when she dice
ten years later.
The arrival of a stranger in a villag
Of 1900 inha bitants. and that strange
woman and widow, Is bound t.
stir up things. She bought house o
Deacon Craft for $780, and when ask
ed where she came from her prompt re
ply was:
None O your darned business"
She bought new furniture and moved
in, and that was the beginning Of q
| rather strange life. Word went around
| the town that the newcomer was
"techy," and it did not prove mis-
take. She CARED crouch on either
shoulder. She was judged to be sixty
years old, but she was as spry as q
girl of sixteen. She paid cash for
what she bought, but whether she had
plenty or little could only be guessed
at Any queries thrown out on this
subject were met by:
you mind your business and III
mind mine
Several ladies called on Mrs. Craig in
neighborly way. They wanted to let
her know that. although she was a
stranger within their gates. she could
at once begin to lend and borrow tea,
sugar and coffee the same as an old
resident None Of them got into the
house. At the front door they were
asked their business and told they were
not wanted.
Elder Hazlett was her neighbor on
the right. He kept chickens the same
as all other residents. Among them
was Shanghai rooster, who could
crow like two-year-old bull. His
growing didn't seem to annoy anybody
but the widow She jumped on the
elder with suit for damages. and she
scared him into paying her $40 and
wringing the ROSTERS neck with such
a wiring that liz. never crowed again.
The rooster incident was the begin
ming of dozen lawsuits. The woman
reveled in thr m. She brought suits
against men and women and the vii
lage. She had the money to pay her
lawyers and the costs. She had the
spunk to appeal when beaten. For five
years she kept the town in a turmoil.
and finally it was decided that she
must be crazy. and an order was pro-
cured from the court to have her sanity
inquired into. Six medical men did
the business-that is, they came out Of
1t with features dragging.
1t was shortly after this that Mrs.
Craig was found dead in her bed. She
had said that she had no relatives. and
the courts took charge. A will was
found. and when in due time it was
opened it knocked the breath out of
many villagers. There were 149 be.
quests. and only samples of them can
oe given here. One of her first be-
quests to the village was:
II hereby bequeath the sum of $1,000
o the village of Rowland for the pur-
,ose of buying fire engine and erect.
ng house for the same"
There was hum Of approval as that |
was read, but it died a sud-
len death
provided that" it continued, "old
'quar Billings rolls the length Of the
audhole on Main street three times
ay for ten successive days.
ITO Elder Hazlett, who called me a
rank. the sum Of $1,000, provided he
will ride his old spotted COW four
INES around the Methodist meeting
ouse on the first Sunday of each
lonth for a year.
ITO Mrs. Henry Rayburn the sum of
1000 to buy herself new nose. l
ever liked the one she has. 1t has
lways poked into other peoples at
3 airs. iifs >, --
Mrs. Rayburn had helped to prepare
be old woman for burial, and at the
eading of the paragraph she was
card to murmur that she wished the
ody had been thrown into the river.
ITO the county Of Dwight the sum
{ $4,000. to erect new Jail, provid-
] that Mr.. James. Mrs. White and
[rs. Graham m are the first three prison
.s in 1t and serve not less than sixty
ays as cure for their gossipy
'ngues."
Dwight county didn't get the money