Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1870-09-24
MACON, MISSISSIPPI, SEPTEMBER a. 1870

guage. struggle 10 get 1ree-1 ngnL-
the end is, / find myself In a station
house, in charge of the police. Weari-
ed, worried, not drunk, but having
been over-excited, and being over-ex-
cited with my ride of death and its
consequences, | fall asleep.
1t was about one O'Clock, A. NJ, when
/ awOke. / recollected everything. l
was in a room with two or three dirty
fellows, half drunk, half asleep, who
had been taken up in some row. There
was one better looking, gentlemanly
dressed man, who was drunk as pOssi>
bic, lying on q form, and calmly and
quite hOpelessly surveying me with a
fishy CLASSY, fishy-loOking eye. l call.
ed for and saw the Inspector, or head
man at the station. He was very kind.
but very firm. He would not hear Of
bribe. On good, substantial bail he
would let me out, but before the police
magistrate ! must appear that morn
ing at ten o'clock. Where could /, .
young, unknown man, get bail at that
time Of night? sat down, elbows on
my knees, head in my hands, and
thought over matters.
No doubt took somewhat gloomy
view Of things. My impressions were:
Appearance as a criminal in the police
court-shame Of the thiDg-heavy fine
perhaps mprisOnment-cOmmissiOn
lost-repOrt in the regiment that l was
a coward, backing out when the time
for active service had arrived-charac-
ter gone. What could ! do? Two
o'clock, three, four, five; the we'll
dressed drunkard opposite awOke from
his intoxicated slumber. He was
clothed in grey suit-in dark brown
he had greatcoat-I had none; he
had q hat-mine had doubtless been
picked up long ago near BletChley, and
was laid by as the gala head-dress OF
some navy.
HallO," said l to the man opposite;
who are you? What are you doing
here ?"
"I'll be hung if l can tell," said he,
on the spur Of the moment. "But wait
mOment-let me collect my scattered
thoughts. Yesterday l was a medical
student Of - hospital, as no doubt l
still am. Last evening | attended q
supper party of a friend who was just
passed his examination. | do not rec
Ollect getting into any row, but no
doubt | was picked up by the police,
drunk and insensible. l shall most
iuk,3. DC fined five or ten bob by the
.beak. ana ust a lecture from him.
AI,o,,f ono ojelo.l, my st0mach will re-
cover lis tone, and Richaiaa WI y
himself again. There il my case; now
why are you here % he said,
~ hardly know" ! replied. Bu
wait q bit; let me think" 7 aske,
him if the police knew him, and wha
name he gave.
have no more idea than yOu,n h
replied, whether the BObbies have tn,
honor of being acquainted with me;
can't tell whether | gave any NAME
II l twas able to utter any articulat
sound, | am pretty sure to have in
formed them that my name was MI
John Smith,
thought.
"Mr. John Smith" said |, "we shal
, never meet again. | neither mean no
e wish to insult you. have done moth
ing criminal, and yet l am in bigge
mess than can probably be atOned 70
by few shillings fine. Pardon me,
| insult you by my proposal. fyOU
will exchange clothes with me, an,
: names and crimes, neither OF US givin
g our real names, / will give you twent.
e pounds down, and run my chance G
] being first placed at the bar"
"All very well, ," said he; "but sup
| posing your offence is one likely to b
e punished heavily, and l am called upol
iirst-I should be in mess"
"Oh, no. l replied "if you ar
called first, l loose my game, and yo'
{ keep the money l give you, and TAX
your own offence and your own pun
ishment. II l am called up first,
give your name, and pay your fine
e and you, when you are called, viii
! have no great difficulty in proving tina
Z you are not I, and were not where
was yesterday"
J "All right; done, along with you,
l he said but hope you are not in TO
murder"
We changed clothes while our com
paniOns were snoring. We were dul,,
conveyed in the prisOn-van about halt
! past nine, to the pOlice-cOurt. l man
aged to get hold of an official, to Civ
,, him a pound, and to get him to use hi
! influence to have the case Of JOhl
Smith, the drunken medical student
called first, or very early. My brib
answered. For the first, and last time
, trust, In my life, stood in the dock
No sooner bad / been placed there
I than at once stated that wished I,
5 plead guilty; that was very sorry 70
: what | had done, Il inwarlly wonder
ed what 1t was, that / had been over
, taken by drink OH festive occasion
and SO forth. The magistrate cut M
/ short by saying he was glad to see M
so penitent-at the same time my OF
fence must be punished; that it wa
disgraCeful for a gentleman OF my pO
} sition to he found drunk and incapa6l
! i'm the streets must pay fine Of tel
, shillings, or go to prison for sevei
days.
! need hardly add that paid the fin
at once, left the court, and as fast as
hansOme could carry me, hurried off +
the southwestern terminus. My rus
, at the police court must, | knew, b
soon discovered, and though there wa
not much chance of my being fOun'
and taken up, yet l was anxious to pu
as great distance as could between
myself and the worthy magistrate ant
his suborlinates. By some cleve
management, the case kept out Of tn
newspapers. -,
! / remember anxiOusly scanned tn
police reports, to see what had becom
Of my prison acquaintance, Mr.. JOhl
Smith, who dressed in my clothes, wa
to stand in my shoes aud take on him
self my offence, but | could learn moth
. ing. II was not till few years after
on my return to England, that hear
what had been the end Of the matter
, Feeling confident that ! should not h
, recognized, went to the same police