The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-02-20
MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN.

uC lODB6l a llldu llNcb tu6 Itbb GuLDu'
siasm he has to rush man out under 8
tree and swing him up to limb because
he happens to be riding a horse stolen
the week before. 1t is the easiest thing
in the world to be mistaken, and it's o
pretty good idea to go slow until you
know you are dead right.
One night last spring was at the Bis
marck House in Decatur, Ala. The no
tel was over-full, and not only had to
sleep in bed with four beds in it, bur
there were two men to a bed. 1t was
either that or walk the veranda, and 81
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 Iawoke and breakfast
was on down stairs. 1dressed and went
down without finding anything out of
the way, and was smoking an after
breakfast cigar when man approached
and observed
Sir You are my prisoner !"
Charged with murder, suppose ?" !
laugbingly queried.
almost as bad, cir. It's grand lar
ceny."
"Woof But you don't mean it r
Read this, sir"
And he handed me telegram from
station twenty miles north of Decatur,
which read:
ARREST and hold the man who shared
the bed with me in room No. AZ. He
stole all my money. HUNT"
tried to explain, but the constable
had duty to perform, and he performed
it. He was to hold me until Hunt could
get back, and we sat together on the
veTanda, for the next two hours. Then
a man dropped off the south bound pas
senger train and rushed up to us with
the exclamation
"Ah! you scoundrel, but l was too
sharp for your
"Is your name Hunt 2"
ayes, SIR"
"Well want an explanation OF this
matter, was the last one up, and if
you we're robbed l don't see how"
Hes got my coat on his back right
here |" shouted Hunt.
So had, but it fitted me to T, was
of the same cloth and cut, and l had had
no occasion to inspect the pockets. In
the breast pocket was wallet with 5000
III ~ anu On lluub DdCh was lily oyer
coat. He was to blame for the change,
having got up first and taken my coat.
He did not discover the mistake until be
went to pay his fare on the train,
One day in Kentucky town l went
to get horse for ride into the country.
After rig was ready it looked 80 much
like a thunder shower that decided not
to take it out. A stranger came in Just
as l was going out, and later on l saw
him drive by the hotel with the horse.
Three days later and one hundred miles
away a sheriff came up to my room at
the hotel and said
"Well, you'll have to go with me-"
(Which way p
The Jail way"
"For what p
"For stealing horse and buggy at
Blanktown."
"But / never did"
"Ob, come now, be reasonable. It's
dead sure thing on you, and il you II tell
me where the rig is I'll remember the
favor"
MY friend, did you ever hear of Davy
Crockett 2" asked.
Heaps of times"
"He had a 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 tie
rig"
| warned him he was making a mis-
take, but he rolled his tongue in his
cheek and said he would take the
chances. therefore accompanied the
sheriff to the county jail, where found
two white men and four negroes locked
up for various offences. Their greeting
was as hearty and cordial as could de-
sire, and the sheriff had no sooner de-
parted than l was patted on the back
and invited to tell my story. told it
and was laughed at for trying to stuff
old veterans with any such cbBf. l
slept on a pine bench IN one Of the cells,
and was rather glad when morning
came. l knew the sheriff had tels-
graphed for the livery man to come and
identify me, and 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 razor, aud remember
he was saying that we had lone hand
and had mopped the floor with the
vicious opposition. 1t might have been
a lone hand-I can't say. / remember,
however, that some Of the cards had
chromos on shem, while others were
covered with spots. The livery man
came In with a look Of fond expectancy
in each eye, but the moment he saw me
his jaw fell and he gasped
why, you haven't got him here for
stcolng my rig Z"
"Why, Of course. Int he the chap p
"Well; you are an idiot and no mis-
take You Usn gen ready to sweat fP
tbtS r