Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-08-13

Is all right. l did not do IL, you KNOW
Go to bed like wise girl, and will come
back as soon as l can and tell you thu
sequel to my story.
"Just then the cook opened the dool
and said: Oh, if you please, 'um, there's
two policemen at the door, and they
says, 'um, they want to speak to master.
4 Very well, said !, will go te
them. 1t is very possible / shall be alb
sent some time, cook, SO take good care
Of your mistress till l come home;' and
giving Lizzie hasty kiss l walked out
and faced my unlimited visitors. Before
| could speak word one of them
touched me on the shoulder and said
You're wanted about that old gentleman
found murdered in fuss-class railway
carriage at ighgate station
eyes said; Il was just coming
down to the police station about it,
"'Oh! was your said the man, in a
grimly facetious manner; and, looking
up, saw he had stuck his tongue in his
cheek and was winking at his comrade
| longed to knock the fellow down, but
knew it would hardly do to yield to the
| inclination; so tried to console myself
by remembering that / had only my own
stupidity to thank for the unpleasant po-
sition | was in.
Foster grinned and nodded friendly
and provoking agreement.
Well" continued |, "the police sta
ton was not far off, and we were soon
in the presence of the inspector as we
entered he turned his calm, grave face
toward us, and fixed an inquiring look
on me for an instant; then, signing me
to come forward, he said, quietly: viii
you state all you know about this AFFAIR."
and he pointed with his pen to bench
on which the body of my late fellow
traveller was lying.
Z" / told him ] knew nothing about the
matter-that did not know the man was
dead until a few minutes before the train
stopped, and had been much startled
and shocked at the discovery.
"Why did you not give information
as soon as you reached the station?' said
the inspector, drily.
"' Well, really stammered |, / do not
know why. OF course / ought to have
done so. ] can only account for my
negligence to do it by the fact of my
| being in a hurry to reach home, and the
certainty that he would be seen by the
officials directly, who would know better
what to do than ! did
! "This was a sorry kind of an explana-
ton, and was hardly surprised to find
that it did not satisfy the police, but
was, nevertheless, considerably dismayed
when the inspector informed me was a
| prisoner.
"Poor little Lizzie thought | 4; what
| fright she will be in However, / was
permitted to send her message to
| the effect that / was detained to give
evidence, and that she was not to be
uneasy.
81 was then taken in cab to Bow
street, where was charged with murder
| ing and robbing an old gentleman, name
unknown. My pockets were turned
| out, my papers, purse, and watch
taken from me, and even my cigar case,
which was at the moment certainly the
greatest privation. The charge was
| taken, and j was marched off to a cell
and locked up. There, sitting on one
| bench with my legs on another and my
| back fitted into an angle of the wall,
| passed the night-such miserable night
| it was, / should have persisted with cold
| had it not been for the kindness of the
jailer who lent me thick, loose coat and
| blanket. In wretched discomfort
| dozed and dreamt starting up now and
then in bewilderment, wondering where
| | was, and then, suddenly recollecting,
sank back in my corner to doze and wake
| by turns till morning. After some cold
coffee and bread j was again taken be-
| fore the court and examined and, TO my
horror, sent to the House of Detention
| till the inquest should be over, when it
was intimated should be brought up
| again.
"Well, to cut short my story, for | see
you are yawning, / must tell you that the
inquest was held, and the doctors discov-
cred that the old gentleman was not muir
dered at all, but had died of apoplexy.
So my offense was reduced to theft only;
the old fellows pockets had been emptied
and his watch taken.
~ should, no doubt, have been sent
back for further evidence but that pris-
oner was brought in upon whom the
stolen property had been found. The
prisoner proved to be the identical tall,
good-looking man who had left the rail
way carriage as / got in. The young fell
low, who, on account of his gcntlemanly,
stylish appearance had got the sobri-
auet of the Prince was professional
thief, but on this occasion he had been
on pleasure trip to the North to see
some friends, and he solemnly declared
he got into the carriage where the old
EcHblslndn WIS WltIOut any DuSlHcsS-ilkC
Intentions; that he always travelled first
class because it was more comfortable,
besides being genteeler.' He said-and,
as you know, the statement was borne
out by the medical evidence-that the
old gentleman had a fit, and that, though
he did his best to assist him by opening
the windows, loosening the old fellows
neckcloth, and holding up his head, he
died in few minutes. And then,
added the Prince i thought the poor
old boy couldn't want his watch or his
purse again, and / knew they would be
very useful TO me, so they changed
| pockets; and then | stuck him in the cor
ner where the other gentleman found
him. But do hope, continued he, look
| ing round with an air of injured limo
cence, SO well assumed that | felt in
clined to applaud, do hope no one
| would go to say as taking what nobody
else didn't want was stealing Unfortu.
nately, some rather important people
could not be brought to see the matter
from his point of view, and the Prince
did not visit his friends in the North
| again for some years.