The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-01-17
MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN.
Go Slow Until You Are Sure You
Are Dead Right.
n. Quad Graphically Describes some Har.
rowing Personal Experiences Which.
Dear Reader, Contain Nor
al for You and Me.

asm he has to rush man out under a
tree and swing him up to a limb because
he happens to be riding horse stolen
the week before. 1t $ the easiest thing
in the world to be mistaken, and it's a
pretty good idea to go slow until you
know you are dead right.
One night last spring l was at the Bis
marck House in Decatur, Ala. The
botel was over-full, and l not only had
to sleep in a room with four beds in it,
but there were two men to bed. II
was either that or walk the veranda, and
SO we turned in together and went to
sleep. Part of the crowd was to get up
at 3 o'clock in the morning. and was
sound asleep when my partner crept out
of bed to take the train. In fact, all
were out of the room when | awoke, and
| breakfast was on downstairs. l dressed
and went down without finding any
| thing out of way, and was smoking an
| after-breakfast cigar when a man APP
| preached and observed:
Sir! You are my prisoner
Charged with murder, SUPPOSE" 1
laughingly queried.
almost as bad, sir. It's grand lar
ceny."
"Woof! But you don't mean itr'
"Read this, sir
And he handed me telegram from a
station twenty miles north of Decatur,
which read:
''Arrest and hold the man who shared
the bed with me in room No. Al. He
stole all my money. Hunt"
tried to explain, but the constable
had duty to perform, and he perform
| ed it. He was to hold me until Hunt
could get back, and we sat together on
the veranda for the next two hours.
Then man dropped off the south-bound
passenger train and rushed up to us
with the exclamation:
"Ah! you scoundrel, but 1 was too
sharp for your
SIS your name Hunt?"
''Yes. SIR
'Well, l want an explanation Of this
matter. was the last one up, and if
you were robbed don't see how
''He's got my coat on his back right
here!" shouted Hunt.
So l had, but it fitted me to 7, was
of the same cloth and cut, and / had
had no occasion to inspect the pockets.
In the breast pocket was wallet with
5000 in it, and on Hunts back was my
overcoat. He was to blame for the
change, having got up first and taken
my coat. He did not discover the mis-
take until he went to pay his fare on
the train.
Che day in Kentucky town went to
q livery stable to get horse for ride
into the country. After the rig was
ready it looked so much like thunder
shower that decided not to take it out.
A stranger came in just as was going
out. and later on saw him drive by the
hotel with the horse. Three days later
and one hundred miles away sheriff
came up to my room at the hotel and
said:
swell. you'll have to 60 with me-"
(which way?"
''The Jail way"
''For what?"
''For stealing horse and buggy at
Blanktown."
''But never did"
'.Oh, come now, be reasonable. It's a
dead sure thing on you, and if you'll
tell me where the rig is rll remember
the favor"
my friend, did you ever hear of Da-
Wy Crockett?" asked.
Heaps of times"
"He had motto, you know
'.Yes, and I've followed it. Here's
your description to dot, and I'm going
right ahead. Where did you leave the
rig?'
l warned him that he was making a
mistake, but he rolled his tongue in his
cheek and said he would take the
chances. l therefore accompanied the
sheriff to the county Jail. where I found
two white men and four negroes locked
up for various offenses. Their greeting
was as hearty and cordial as l could de-
sire. and the sheriff had no sooner de-
parted than l was patted on the back
and invited to tell my story.
i told it, and was laughed at for
trying to stuff old veterans with any
such chaff. slept on pine bench in
ono of the cells, and was rather glad
when morning came. KNEW the sheriff
had telegraphed for the livery man to
come and identify me. and l put in
about four hours practicing on the way
] meant to crush him when he appeared.
At ten o'clock, when he appeared, was
trying to understand a game Of cards
called euchre, or echo, or something like
that My partner was negro, in for
cutting somebody with a razor, and re-
member he was saying that we had
lone hand and had mopped the floor
with the vicious opposition. 1t might
have been a lone hand, or q solitary
hand, or full hand-I can't say. re-
member, however, that some of the
cards had chromos on them, while others
were covered with spots. The livery
man came in with look of fond ex-
pectancy in each eye, but the moment
he saw me his jaw fell and he gasped:
"Why, you haven't got him here for
stealing my rig?'