{
 "id": "ambrose-bierce/a-celebrated-case",
 "title": "A Celebrated Case",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "Ambrose Bierce",
 "poet_slug": "ambrose-bierce",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Black Beetles in Amber",
 "book_slug": "black-beetles-in-amber",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": null,
 "container": "Black Beetles in Amber",
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1892,
  "venue": "Black Beetles in Amber (1892)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/blackbeetlesinam00bier"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/ambrose-bierce_poetry",
  "file": "black-beetles-in-amber.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4793",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12658",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12977",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15599",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof04bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof05bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof08bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/shapesofclay00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/blackbeetlesinam00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/literarycalifor05mighgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/cali07webb"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 52,
  "n_stanzas": 13,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 54,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Way down in the Boom Belt lived Mrs. Roselle;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "A person named Petrie, he lived there as well;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But Mr. Roselle he resided away⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iay.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Once Mrs. Roselle in her room was alone:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The flesh of her flesh and the bone of her bone",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Neglected the wife of his bosom to woo⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral ioo.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Then Petrie, her lover, appeared at the door,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Remarking: “My dear; I don’t love you no more.”",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“That’s awfully rough,” said the lady, “on me⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iee.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“Come in, Mr. Petrie,” she added, “pray do:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Although you don’t love me no more, I love you.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sit down while I spray you with vitriol now⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iow.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Said Petrie: “That liquid I know won’t agree",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With my beauty, and then you’ll no longer love me;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "So spray and be”⁠—O, what a word he did say!⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iay.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "She deluged his head and continued to pour",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Till his bonny blue eyes, like his love, were no more.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "It was seldom he got such a hearty shampoo⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral ioo.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Then Petrie he rose and said: “Mrs. Roselle,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I have an engagement and bid you farewell.”",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“You see,” she began to explain⁠—but not he!⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iee.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The Sheriff he came and he offered his arm,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Saying, “Sorry I am for disturbin’ you, marm,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But business is business.” Said she, “So they say⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iay.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The Judge on the bench he looked awfully stern;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The District Attorney began to attorn;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The witnesses lied and the lawyers⁠—O my!⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iyi.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The chap that defended her said: “It’s our claim",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That he loved us no longer and told us the same.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "What else than we did could we decently do?⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral ioo.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The District Attorney, sarcastic, replied:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“We loved you no longer⁠—that can’t be denied.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Not having no eyes we may dote on you now⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral iow.”",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "The prisoner wept to entoken her fears;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The sockets of Petrie were flooded with tears.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "O heaven-born Sympathy, bully for you!⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing tooral iooral iooral ioo.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Four jurors considered the prisoner mad,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And four thought her victim uncommonly bad,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And four that the acid was “all in his eye”⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sing rum tiddy iddity iddity hi.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}