Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1885-07-02

| relieved at InTee naQ IL conveyed 20
my room in barracks. and after com ng
of guard placed it for greater security
in the troop store. That evening. before
stables" when the orderly corporal
had read out the duties for the succeed
ing day. he said, addrt s,ing me: Jones.
you have to attend the Orderly room to-
morrow"
"Why?" l inquired.
''YoN have been reported for neglect
ing to salute Captain Sir Carnaby jerks
as he passed you while on sentry this
afternoon" was the corporals answer.
said nothing by way of excuse. Thi,
heinous charge was in all probability
true. believe might have omitted to
present to Her Majesty the Queen
herself, if she had passed that afternoon
in her state carriage, so distracted was
l by the engrossing subject of this
valise.
After stables. left barracks tor my
customary walk. and purchasing a copy
of the Echo from a Juvenile news
vender, l read the particulars of the
fatality of the morning. Friends had
identified the body, which was that of a
gentleman named Nixon, who had re-
sided at Bayswater.
''NiXOn! That corresponds with the
initial M on the bag" l thought to
myself, now perfectly convinced that
the deceased was the person had seen
in the morning. l also ascertained
from the newspaper report that a man
had been apprehended on suspicion of
having attempted to rifle the pockets OF
the clothes of the drowned man, and
who had been roughly handled by the
crowd, before a pol ceman could be
procured to take him into custody.
After moments reflection decided to
call at the address given in the paper,
in order to arrange about the reStora-
ton OF the bag to the relatives of the
deceased.
Reaching the house l knocked softly
at the door, and stated my business to
the domestic who appeared, by whom
l was shown into room. and imme-
diately afterward was waited upon by a
young lady, the daughter of the de-
ceased, who, naturally enough, was
perfectly Overcom, with grief l eX-
planned to her in few words the OBJ
ject of my visit.
Il am uncertain whether poor papa
had val!se of that description when he
left this morning." she said; .'but pos
slbly you may recognize him from the
photograph" submitting one she took
from the table for my Inspection.
experienced range sense of re-
lief-the features in the photo were
those of a person bearing no resem-
hIn m hat II -IN
had left his bag in my charge.
The young lady thanked me heartily
for the trouble l had taken in the mat
ter; and left the house of mourning
and returned to the barracks in a very
mystiiied state of mind.
Gould the owner of the bag be the
thief who was caught in the act of
plundering the dead mans clothes?n |
asked myself, but immediately dis
missed the idea from MY mind, as being
absurd and improbable
Next day l attended the orderly
room, and received n severe admonition
from the commanding officer. Fortu.
nately for me, as it happened, Sir Car
naby had been in plain clothes. so my
oIense in the eye of marital law was of
comparatively venial character In
mediately afterwards | considered it my
duty to report the rcumstances at
tending the valise to the adjutant, who
in turn communicated with the police
authorities at Scotland Yard; and that
evening, pursuant to instructions re-
ceived. had t e bag conveyed to that
establishment. After | had e>pa:ned
how it was placed in my charge, it was
opened in my presence by an offic al,
and was found 10 conta n just suit of
old clothes and n few newspapers, but
no documents of any kind, as stated by
its owner.
After this the bag ceased to interest
rue, rs the valueless character of it's
contents caused me to speculate less on
the unaocountab!e conduct of its pos
SCISSOR in never returning for it. may
mention that l read an account
in the evening paper regarding
the alleged thief who had been
apprehended on the Serpentinc Bank
under the circumstances before alluded
to. by the name of Judd he had been
taken before a magistrate and reman led
for week, in order that inquiries m ght
be ma lie concerning him.
Some time afterwards | was on
Queens guarl, Westminster. l had
just mounted my horse and taken up
position in one of the two boxes facing
Parliament street, when gentleman
stopped opposite me and scanned me
curiously. Addressing me. he said:
Don't you remember me?''
Tnere was no installing the voice: it |
was that of the owner of the bag! !
Otherwise, he was greatly altered as he
had denuded himself of the Iuxuriant
whiskers and mustache which he wore
when saw him previously.
''What has been wrong?' l asked.
''Oh, ] was seized with fit that
when l came out of the water,
and was taken home in an unconscious
state. have been very unwell ever
since, and have. left my house for the
first time to-day. made inquiries at the
barracks about you; and as the soldier
spoke to seemed to know about the
bag | left with you, he directed me
here"
''Well, SIR" said, 81 had quite made
mp my mind that you were the gentle
man who was drowned that morning:
and when l discovered my mistake, i
am almost ashamed to own that took
you for the man who was apprehended
On the charge of trying to plumber the
drowned mans clothes"
The gentleman smiled pleasantly and
said: ''Ah! read about that. And now
% business. Iwish to get my bag at
,nce. l presume you have it in safe
keeping at the barracks?'
''It's much nearer at hand."I replied
: lust across the street from here"
md then told him that it was in the