The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-07-18
THE MANAGES MISTAKE.
BY MILTON ]. HOFFMAN.

| was student of the medical college.
Charles B-was my room mate, and
singular fellow he was. A little p" love
cracked SO the students said and really
when first made his acquaintance, was
of the same opinion. had known him
a year before | could induce him to tel
the story of his past life. 1t was rec
ord Of right and wrong strangely inter-
mingled. I give it in his own words.
s'That I loved Edna Wayne. he began.
81 could not deny. OF her father, the
wealthy bank director, | have little to
say. He was cold stern man, strange
ly reserved, and cared for little less than
business and the profits it would bring.
He never favored me but once, during
the time l was in his employ, and that
was when he introduced me into the So
ciety of his family. He did not dream
then that [ should ever presume to ask
for the hand of his beautiful daughter
Edna But loved her from the very
first, and was ever happy in the belief
that the love [ gave her was reciprocal
ted.
eve were on the eve of marriage
when the principal incident in my mis-
fortune was enacted. The position &C.
cupied in the bank was one of response
bility. All transactions of Importance
were to me entrusted. The key of the
safe, and all the valuables pertaining to
a sealtnW banking house were placed
under my inspection and care. To say
that l faithfully performed all the various
duties of my position would be the truth.
I knew not what it was to be dishonest.
My work was good, my pay good, and
my future prospects most dattering. In
short was happy, and perfectly salts
fed with my lot.
''Such was the state of affairs when
one night the bank was robbed of all its
valuables. The mystery surrounding the
robbery was great. Detectives were en-
ployed to ferret it out 1t was thought
at first that the deed had been commit
ted by professional burglar. At length
however. circumstances were developed
which led people to suspect that was
the guilty party. 1t was thought that,
as l occupied the Office during the night,
the noise of the intruder should have
awakened me. Why it had not was no
mystery to me. The burglars had evil
IDENTIFY blunted my senses with chloro-
form, and opened the safe with the keys
which they had stolen from my person.
The act was easily accomplished. To ex-
tract the valuables from the safe, re-lock
it and return the keys to my pocket, was
The work of a minute.
Among the articles stolen were two
silver coius of unique and singular de-
sign. One of these Gins was placed in
my trunk, for what purpose can be easily
conjectured. The other was carried
away by the burglars. To fasten on me
the suspicion of robbery was evidently
their purpose, aud too we'll they succeed
ed. Everything went to prove that [
was the guilty party. To declare my in
nocence was unavailing. | was disgraced
and would have been tried, and doubt
less sent to prison for a term of years,
had it not been for the interposition of
one of my employers. The father was
too proud to hear the name of his daugh-
ter's lover associated with disgrace,
without one effort to lessen the dishonor.
That | would leave the city and never re-
turn to it, were the conditions under
which | was liberated. Until I could
prove my Innocence, he said, by discov-
ering the real perpetrator of the crime l
must remain stranger to his family.
1t was with heavy heart that | saw
my hopes dissolve. l left the city, and
for some time remained in idleness, keen
lyrealizlng the depth of my disgrace. |
cherished but one hope of retrieving my
misfortune. | might find the silver coin
which was stolen. and thus obtain clue
to the whereabouts of the real perpetrat-
ors the crime for which | had suffered
Thus far my search had been unay ailing.
AS 10 isaala Wayne, the thought that
she considered me innocent ard true had
stimulated me to greater exertion,
and awakened within me the hope
that the early dream of calling her
mine may yet be realized Since COM
ing here. | know that | have been re-
served, unsociable, and at times disagree
able. cannot help it. 1t has been my
lot to be unfortunate, and l often rebel.
/: was with no little interest that [
listened TO the story of my friends mis-
fortune. He certainly had been the
victim of peculiar circumstances. I won
cered what was awaiting him in the flu.
ture. But I never approached him on
the subject afterwards. 1t made him
wild, almost insane to hear it mentioned.
At times [ really thought he vas insane
so strange and unaccountable we're his
actions.
The last time saw him [ shall never
forget. One of his strange spells was
upon him. We were in the dissecting
room. An operation was about to be
performed on a subject lately brought
from the penitentiary. 1t was customa-
arv for the attending professor to select