The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-12-24
THE WRONG MAN.
Unhappy Experiences ofa Country Doctor
in New York.

Talking about New York police
courts said short man with q round.
red face, and huge pair of spectacles TO
reporter, Il was the unhappy victim OF
a curious case of mistaken identity in one
of them few weeks ago; though | think
at the time the affair did not get into the
papers, The speaker was young
physician whom the reporter had known
in a Pennsylvania town, and the story
he told was as follows:
Il had been taking a little trip up the
Hudson with friend of mine, and we
were in New York for few days before
going home. We had just visited Gen
Grants tomb in Riverside park, and
were walking along one of the avenues
in the upper part of the city. Suddenly
policeman tapped me on the shoulder
Somebody wants to see you back here,
: he said.
Il thought | had made a mistake in
paying for the lunch we had taken in a
restaurant square or two back. But
the first thing knew was pushed into
little fancy store and an excited woman
came running forward, crying: That's
the man. that's the man: and the lame
man therefor my friend had stiff leg
and limped-'that's his accomplice. /
know them both
Then she went on to say that the
lame man had come into her store and
offered 80 bill to pay for some trifie,
that there wasn't change enough in the
drawer, and she had to open desk
where she kept roll of larger bills; that
in little while | came in, and after
looking at good many things asked her
to get silk handkerchief which was
hanging in the show-window. This it
took her some time to get, and five min
utes after | left the room she found the
roll of bills was gone.
's'When did this happen, MADAME" ]
asked.
"'Last Saturday morning.
50 But we weren't near New York last
Saturday.
"'Oh, you can't get off that way" she
cried. FL swear to it. | know you by
your face. l know you by your clothes.
| know you by your voice,
"And in two minutes we were walking
downtown in charge of the policeman
with an admiring crowd of men and
boys at our heels AT the police station
the woman told her story again and
swore to it. My friend of course, was
dismissed was searched, my watch,
surgeon case, and money were taken
from me, and l was put into dirty base
ment cell. where the darkness was made
hideous by the raving of drunken ne
GRO next door.
"Well, / suppose it was about three
o'clock in the afternoon when | was
taken to the police court. | had gotten
back my watch and money, and felt
pretty confident that | could make out
my case. The judge was a nice-looking
man, whose name found out afterward
was Duffy He listened carefully while
the woman told her story and / told
mine. When / was through he said:
"'Well, young man, you haven't con-
tradicted yourself once. | think | know
a criminal when see him, and you don't
look like one
just then my friend, who had come
in, pushed forward and attracted the at
tention of the court. There's his ac-
complice,' said the woman; i can swear
to them both
THAT is very serious, said the Judge
You told pretty slick story" broke
in the clerk, and you might have gotten
off if your blanked fool OF an accomplice
hadn't come in. But no one ever had a
better chance of going up the river than
YOU have now' And he was about to
make out commitment to the Tombs
when the Judge interposed.
Hold on he said; I'll give this
| man another chance. Let him have a
| special hearing tomorrow morning.
Il felt pretty blue. There | was with
out an acquaintance in the city, my
friends two hundred miles of, unable to
prove my identity. / was put for the
night into one of the dirty cells of the
send some telegrams, to have my supper
brought in from o restaurant, and to
have my cell changed.
"'No,' said the keeper, it is against
the rules
Il got my kilograms sent at about 70
cents word; my supper cost five times
the usual rates, and for So they gave me
a cleaner cell. | did not sleep much.
however The prospect of going to the
| Tombs the next afternoon was too much
for me.
''Abont o'clock on Sunday morning
a cab came laundering up to the station
house. A kick at the door and a volley
of oaths brought out the keeper on a
run. and in few minutes my brother
walked into the cell.
He had been travelling all night, and
brought with him papers and letters to
| identify me and prove an alibi. At 10
o'clock | came up for a second hearing.
The woman stuck to her story as posi-
lively as ever. Ny case was good, Of
course, and the Judge dismissed me.
This is an outrage, he said, But /
don't see that you have any remedy for
it. The woman isn't worth anything,
and you can't get damages.
But you had an interesting exper-
| ience," said the reporter,
30 yes," said the doctor dolefully
1T was interesting, but it cost me $50. y"
N. I, Irtbpne-