, 1890-01-30
MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN.

The longer one lives the less enthusi-
asm he has to rush a man out under a
tree and swing him up to a limb because
he happens to be riding a horse stolen the
week before. It's the easiest thing in
the world to be mistaken, and it's a
pretty good idea to go slow until you
know you are lead right.
One night last spring l was at the Bis
marck house, in Decatur, Ala. The no.
tel was over full, and l not only had to
sleep in a room with four beds in it, but
there were Two men to a bed. 1t 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 8
o'clock in the morning, and / was sound
asleep when my partner crept out of bed
10 take the train. In fact, all were out
OF the room when / awoke, and break
fast was on down stairs. l dressed and
went down without finding anything out
of way, and was smoking an after break
last cigar when a man approached and
observed:
"Sirl you are my p%risonerl"
Charged with murder, l supposeY' I
~laughingly queried.
almost as bad, sir. It's grand lar
ceny."
Wool But you don't mean itr
Read this, sir"
And he handed me a telegram from a
station twenty miles north of Decatur,
which read:
ARREST and hold the man who shared
tho bed with me in room No. Al. He
stole all my money. HUNT"
l tried to explain, but the constable
had a duty to perform, and he performed
it. He was to hold me until Hunt could
get back, and we sat together on the
veranda for the next two hours. Then a
man dropped off the south bound pas
senger train n rushed up to us with
the explanation:
"Ah! you scoundrel, but 1 was too
sharp for your
'1s your name Hunt"
Yes, sir"
"Well, l want an explanation of this
matter. l was the last one up, and if
you were robbed l don't see howl
Hes got my coat on his back right
herel' shouted Hunt.
So l had, but it fitted me to a T, was
of the same cloth and cut, and 1 had had
no occasion to inspect the pockets. In
the breast pocket was a wallet with 5000
in 1t, and on Hunts back was my own
coat. He vas to blame for the change,
having got up first and taken my coat.
He did not discover the mistake until he
went to pay his fare on the train.
Ono day in a Kentucky town 1 went
to a livery stable to get a horse for a
ride into the country. After the rig was
ready 1t looked so much like a thunder
shower that decided not to take it out.
A stranger came in just as 1 was going
out, and later on ] saw him drive by the
hotel with the horse. Three days later
and 100 miles away a sheriff came up to
my room at the hotel and said:
well, you'll AVE to go with me-"
(which way?"
'The Jail way"
For whatT"
town"
but l 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 I'll remember the
favor"
my friend, did you ever hear of Davy
Crockett" l asked.
Heaps of times"
HE had a motto, you know"
Eyes, and I've followed it. Here's
your description to a dot, and I'm going
right ahead. Where did you leave the
rigT'
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 10 the county jail, where l found
two white men and our 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. l told it and
was laughed at for trying to stuff old
veterans with any such chaff. l slept
on a pine bench in one of the cells, and
was rather glad when morning came.
/ knew the sheriff had telegraphed for
the livery man to come on and identify
me, and l put in about our hours prac-
ticing on the way l meant 10 crush him
when he appeared. At 10 o'clock, when
he appeared, l was trying to understand
a game of cards called euchre or echo,
or something like that. My partner was
q negro, in for cutting somebody with a
razor and l remember he was saying
that he had a lone hand and had mop
ped the floor with the vicious opposition.
1t might have been q lone hand, or q
solitary hand, or a full hand-I can't say.
l remember, however, that some of the
cards had chromos on them, while others
were covered with spots.
The livery man came in with a look of
Language is hardly strong enough to
eXpreSs my admirafinn for thn Ma... e