tallman wrote:

Today I loaned my cheapo Murray Home Depot special lawn tractor to the
dirtbag neighbor. When he was running it I heard it start to run a
little strange. Soon he finished up and parked it.

Later, I try to start it and I notice fuel dripping from the air
filter, and more fuel dripping from the exhaust pipe. Not deterred, I
try to crank it a couple times and lo & behold - more fuel comes out.
No start & the grass continues to grow. In the realm of small engine
repair, I'm hopeless.

Are the symptoms above "signs" of something terminal?

Sounds to me like a stuck or defective float valve in the carb.