Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-05-30
THE WORLD At LARGE.
NJ Quad Tells. How 1t Feels to BE Dead
Broke Amnng Sfrannnrn

-,
NJ. Quad Tells How 1t Feels to BE Doa.
Broke Among strangers.
When he came through the car loohir
for a seat / was glad to offer him half >
mine, writes II. Quad in the Detroit F.s
I'resS. He was an intelligent-looling clean
faced man, and he had scarcely installe.
himself when / discovered that he was high
ly educated. We began on the Darwinia,
theory, branched of to discuss the age @.
the earth, and took in the pyramids, the
Rocky Mountains and several other inter
esting things before wesstopped talkinf
long enough to exchange cards.
We said we were glad 10 know each other
and think we both meant it.
When we began talking again he gave rns
his version Of the birth of cyclones and
hurricanes, and 1 never heard more rea
sonable argument Then we discussed the
Aztecs, billiards., Gulf Stream, Arctic re
gions and various laws Of nature, and wher
the brakeman called the station at which
was TO get on had to tear myself away.
was sincere clear down TO my toes when
held out my hand and said:
Mr.. Burt, am real sorry TO part with
you, and hope we may meet again"
And am sorry, too" he replied " ]
don't know when Ihave enjoyed three hours
so much"
got of at little town Of twelve hundred
people, waited until my trunk came of, and
then inquired the way to a hotel. Just then
also felt for my wallet, but it was gone.
searched again and again, but it was no use
Then / remembered how confidingly Mr.
Burt had leaned on my shoulder, and how
often he had patted me with his hand. and
felt certain he had played the pick-pocket
act. hurried into the station and wrote Q
dispatch to the train conductor. The oper.
ator counted the words and said:
"Thirty-five cents, please"
"But / have been robbed. Haven't even q
nickle."
He heaved a weary sigh, tore the message
in quarters, and went back to his table.
was dead-broke in a STRANGE town. II
you have never been in a similar fix can
tell you the situation has no funny side.
sat down on bale of cotton to figure lit
tie. A trunk full of clothing ought to be
security until 1 could get money by tele-
graph, and / entered the station and or
dcred mine sent to the hotel.
(Which is it!" asked the telegraph oper-
ator, who was also station agent
"That one there"
"Check, please"
searched and searched, and then remem-
bered of placing the check in my wallet.
Going to stay in these parts longr'
queried the agent, in peculiar voice, as
gave up beat.
1.-TWO or three days, 1 guess"
" would't spin out the time beyond that
II 1 were your
/ didn't ask him what he meant There
are tunes when you don't feel like asking
for explanations. started of to find the
hotel. ] think some one had been there be
fore me, for as entered the Office the land
lord looked me from top to toe and said:
Sorry sir, but we are full"
So was l.
went out and sat down in chair on the
veranda, and after ten minutes of hard
thinking resolved to go to the mayor and
try and convince him Of the situation.
was rising up when man jumped around
the corner of the house with a shotgun in
his hands and called to me:
Hands up or I'll blow your head off ~
held up my hands. 1t was a trifiing thing
to do to save head which had carried fol-
forty years.
"Now, them" continued the man, " if you
attempt any resistance I'll kill you like q
dogl You are Billy Minker, apd I'm going
to lock you up ~
A score of men came up, a pair of hand
cuffs were slipped over my wrists, and ]
was walked to the Jail. On the way over ]
asked my captor if he had not made mis-
take, and he replied:
"Shut upl The only mistake is in not
lynching your
1t was great relief to that band of men
when they had me safely locked in a cell
Some of 'em seemed disappointed that the
search Of my pockets didn't pan out a dozen
bowie-knives and revolvers, but the others
whispered consolation in low tones. About
one hundred men came in to look at me
through the grated door. Each and every
one was satisfied that the sheriff had put q
feather in his cap / heard 'em declaring
that looked the murderer that was, and
the biggest man in the crowd said he should
hate to meet me on the highway, handcuffed
as / was.
1t was almost dark when a great crowd
suddenly surged around the building, and q
man and two boys entered with the sheriff
The three former had come to identify me
They looked at me by turns, and heard the
man tell the sheriff he had made a grea,
mistake. Then 1 was brought out of the
cell, aud he said:
AO iSu VIC man. w udC 10 you say
boysr
"of course he isntr' they replied in
chorus.
"He must be-" protested the sheriff.
"He isn't Billy Minl1er any more thar
you are Abraham Lincoln. Say, Sam
you've made bad break"
"Who in thunder are you!" demanded
the sheriff.
i told him
"And why in blazes didn't you say sol'
"You wouldn't let me-"
"But you were acting suspiciously."
"How else can man act when he is deaf
broke and in strange townl''
"Wen, by thunderr'
The landlord had a dozen rooms to spare
when i entered the hotel again, and the de
pot agent brought up my trunk and apollo
gized, aud before went to bed the sheriff
came in with anxious look and whispered
Say, take 200 and let me off. I'm a new
official, and please don't be too hard on me- ,
81 can't take S2O0.''
"Then say 1900. I'm poor man anC
mighty sorry for what's happened"
l took $3.50, the price of ticket to Nash
vile, and as boarded train next day tn,
sheriff gave me farewell shake and whis
pered:
jumping jeeswax! but amt I glad
didn't blow the top of your head of, a
some of the fellows advised me to-"
And so was l.
HAL CLAYTONS BEARD.