The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-13

shadow OF smile played about the
mouth of the Western man. From the
table at which they sat the three young
| fellows went straight TO the telegraph
office, where they sent the following
dispatch:
Postmaster, Abilene. Kan:
Do you know Benjamin Ashley, cattle
raiser? Telegraph fun particulars, my ex-
pense.
X. DICKSON, Brewer House, New York
The reply was evidently in all re-
| spects satisfactory, and within two
days Mr.. Ashley received in his rooms
at the hotel visit from the three conf
dence operators and a lawyer, who is
more or less celebrated in this city.
The head porter of the hotel was called
up into the room after the visitors had
been there an hour or longer, and was
requested to append his signature to a
certain document in the capacity of a
witness to the signing thereof. This
done, and the papers signed by Mr..
Ashley, a large sum of money was paid
over by the gentleman with the thin
| lips and the porter retired with five
dollar bill out of the pile. The visit
ors slowly withdrew from the hotel and
Mr. Ashley deposited that night the
sum of $4,000 cold cash in the office
of the hotel. Two days afterward he
took passage on Guion steamer for
Liverpool, having explained to the no.
tel clerk that he had sold a half-interest
in his Kansas cattle ranch to his
friends, and that Hungry Joe, as he
was called, had expressed a wish to re-
tire from city life. Mr.. Ashley was
''seen or by his enthusiastic New
York acquaintance after the most ap-
proved style of the art They toasted
him right royalty in ''yellOw label"
presented him with big basket of
flowers with the word Farewell in
large blue letters across the center. and
otherwise marked his departure with ev-
licences of tender regard.
Mr.. Ashley had been gone from the
fashionable Broadway hotel precisely
eleven days, when tall man came in
from carriage that was loaded with
trunks and steamer chairs and other APP
pliances of ocean travel. He signed him
self on the register, ben amin Ashley,
London" The clerk looked up hur-
riedly as if to apologize for not recog-
nizing his guest, then looked surprised,
muttered hasty word or two, and as
signed the stranger a room, all in
confused and preOccupied way. This
was apparently another Benjamin Ash
ley. He was tall and slender, and well
dressed, and pale. But he spoke with
a slightly Americanized English accent,
not unlike that of the other Benjamin
Ashley. The clerk was pretty well puz-
zled, and that night he took good care
to have the strangers full name and
address inserted in the list of arrivals
published daily in a periodical devoted
to that purpose and carefully read by
the confidence fraternity. The clerk
went on duty early the next day, and as
he had fully expected, one of the first
callers was the thin-lipped young man,
who asked to have his name sent up to
Mr.. Ashley's room. Word came back
that Mr.. Ashley would see the gentle
man in the drawing-room, and thither
the clerk followed after moment.
Hungry Joe was sitting in large arm
chair when the tall man from London
came into the apartment. The New
Yorker merely bestowed a passing
glance on Mr.. Ashley and looked away.
The Englishman, however, seeing no
one else excepting the clerk, advanced
courteously and said:
.'Did you wish to see me? L am Mr.
Ashley"
"Eh?" queried Hungry Joe, with a
startled look You're not Mr. Benia-
min Ashley?"
Precisely"
"Not of Kansas?"
eyes, of Abilene, Kan. How can l
serve you?"
The thin lips of the confidence man
were rather white by this time. and
they were more firmly compressed than
ever. He regarded the tall English
men in a dazed fashion for a few mo-
ments. Then he asked:
''DO YOU own a large cattle ranch
thirty-five miles south of Albilene?"
81 believe l do. Why do you ask?"
''Been to Europe to have your eyes
doctOred?"
Yes, | have been abroad four
months. But, my young friend, these
questions are rather odd. Please eX-
plain Yourself"
"Oddr' echoed the Broadway man.
''Well, should think they were If
you are Benjamin Ashley, and you do
own that ranch, the cleverest man in
the country has given me deal, that's
all. Why, it ain t two weeks ago that
me and two friends bought a half inter-
est in that ranch, and, by George! the
man who sold us stopped in this same
hotel"
Mr.. Ashley seemed rather astonished
by this information, and beckOned the
clerk, who had been listening to their
conversation quite intently. That indi-
vidual gave careful description of the
previous Mr.. Ashley, and the New York
sharper told how he had won some
So, $50 from the man, who was on his
way to Europe for the benefit of his
eyes. He had represented himself as
the owner of the Ashley ranch, and at
his request the speaker had telegraphed
the Abilene Postmaster, who had re-
piled, giving details as to the property,
which is valued at about $4,000, and
had added that Mr.. Ashley himself had
gone abroad for medical treatment.
The man had represented that he
wanted 10 make certain expenditures in
Europe, and that his card losses would
prevent unless he could dispose of an
interest in his ranch. He produced
deeds to establish his ownership, and
they seemed satisfactory even to the
lawyers. Thinking he had chance to
get S25, 900 worth of material for S14,-
600 the victim had taken two friends in
with him, and by clubbing together
they had raised the necessary amount.
Really" observed the Englishman,
when the recital was finished, Il am