Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1926-01-29
SMITH,
SMITH, SMITH
& SMITH
By DON MARK LEMON
20 by short story Pub. Co.,


w that enemy is found dead on
mans premises with every
mark Of having come to his death by
foul means, 1t goes hard with man,
and especially so If some one had
once or twice overheard him threaten
the life Of that particular enemy.
How much harder must It go with
a man so situated If, few minutes
after his enemy Is dead, that man Is
seen to typewrite and dispatch to
friend the information: Have killed
Juzobe !"
Exceedingly hard-especially when
the enemy's name Is Juzobe.
James Miller was so situated. For
years Juzobe had been his most bitter
enemy and on a certain day in June,
after Miller had been heard to threat
en- Juzobe's life, Juzobe was found
dead at the back Of Miller's house,
with his skull crushed in at the top.
Smith, Smith, Smith & Smith was
law firm In San Francisco, where
the death of Juzobe occurred, and on
sought the accused at once, and Of
fered to defend him.
The Four SIS were four brothers,
to whom the law was a thing which
could be wrenched.
"Slr," said the prisoner, with a
cynical smile, your firm may be q
very able one, but you can't clear me !
Stop" he added, as Smith was about
to speak. II don't mind telling you
that I held Juzobe out of my third
story window and let him drop on his
head thirty feet below"
The representative of the Four SIS
explained to the prisoner that 1t did
not amount to a string Of dried peas
whether he were guilty or not-the
question was: Could the law be
wrenched2 His own opinion was that
1t could, and he begged Miller to let
the attempt be made.
Miller looked a trifle bored, but
said: VERY well, sir, go ahead; only,
remember this-whether you clear me
or not l don't give a rap, and l won't
pay you cent. But, Just out of curl
osity, should like to know how you
expect to clear me, after that note
sent to Wilson"
The senior Smith rubbed his hands
and replied slowly: my dear sir, to
clear you, In the face of that note, will
certainly be no easy task. But then,
half dozen possible courses have al
ready occurred to me. We might, for
instance, show that you were-ahem-
insane, at the time of the affair, and
so, Of course, not responsible"
So Miller put himself into the hands
Of the -Four SIS. That night, as the
four economical Smith brothers lay
side by side, spoon-fashion, in their
big four-poster, 1t seemed to them, in
dividually and collectively, that they
had assumed gratuitously rather
big job.
First they considered, only to re-
Ject, the defense of insanity. For,
though insanity may be a good plea
in some places, 1t was growing mo-
notonous in San Francisco, where the
really insane always took other
grounds OF defense. Next they con-
sidered and finally put aside the con-
tention that their client had been
forced to kill Juzobe in self-defense
Then they canvassed the merits of
three or four more defenses, all mas
ter strokes when fresh, but now much
too worn to serve. Then the four
Smith brothers turned over and fell
asleep from sheer WEAKNESS.
The next day the senior Smith
called upon his client In a rather
doubling mood, but to his surprise
found Miller an entirely altered man.
He had emerged from apathy and,
grasping his lawyers hand welcomed
him eagerly, even fervently.
"Mr Smith," he said, IF you will
clear me Of this murder charge and
restore me to liberty, I'll pay you for
your services the sum Of two hundred
thousand dollars In cash."
The lawyer looked at his client
with something like suspicion. Per
haps Miller, after all, really was In
sanel
YES" the prisoner exclaimed pas
slonately, gripping the attorneys
hands until they almost bled, 81 mean
lt-every word Of 1t. Yesterday
thought her dead whom JuzObe part
ed from me with his fiendish false
hoods. But he lied like a cur. She
Is living-I saw her through these
bars, ministering to the prisoners,
like the angel she is. Yes, she lives
She shall know was not false We
shall be united after all these years,
and that wretch cannot come from
his grave to prevent 1t |"
my dear Mr.. Miller" cried the law
yer, finally tearing his hands loose,
and himself trembling between cupid
lty and fear, "calm yourself and be
assured that no stone shall be left
unturned in your defense. Two hun
dred thousand dollars, you say7 Well
just sign a contract for that"
Certainly" replied Miller.
The firm of -Four SIS had set out
to do the impossible. Well, why mott
SO they put their heads together to
simplify the terms Of their new prob
lem, and reached these conclusions:
First Mlller's defense must be cut
out Of whole cloth.
Second: The fatal note which he
had sent to his friend Wilson just aft.
er the death Of Juzobe, reading.
"Have killed JuzObe," must be thrown
out Of the case, for that was the key