They have croaked

The poisoned corn worked. Don't let it ever be said that lawyers are never useful. Not only did the roosters die awful, drawn-out, painful deaths, with each hour more excruciating than the last, but I got a clever idea.

I am not going to poison, young Sidney, of course not.

But I am going to put a liberal dose of laxatives in his coffee. The more time he spends in the toilet, the less time he spends bothering me.

I am the genius I always suspected myself to be.