St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-04-19
81 TRAMP's SPECIAL PROVIDENCE.

81 TRAMP'S SPECIAL PROVIDENCE.
Danny Lawton was before Magis-
trate Milligan on a charge of petit
larceny, says the Philadelphia Times.
AS he pleaded not guilty to the charge
OF having feloniously eloped with a
blanket displayed before the door of
a minor dry goods store he was a
most dilapidated object. His trous-
ers were tattered and awry. His
shirt was a picture-in the ultra i'm
pressionist style. His footeear con-
sisted of one rubber overshoe and
cast-of boot. He had no hat and
needed none, his head being protected
by Paderewskyonic shock of hair.
He sported no collar and but one
cuff, which was ludicrously in evil
dence.
After the proprietor of the store
from before which the blanket had
disappeared had identified his prop
ertv, and a policeman had sworn to
having recovered it from the prisoner,
whom he had found fast asleep in a
hallway wrapped in his capacious
folds, the magistrate turned to Dan
ny and sternly asked him what he
had to say
Your honor" he responded, dra W.
ing his conspicously lonesome cuff
from his wrist, last night in my cell
[ prepared my defense. | am, how
ever, somewhat difident speaker,
and, not having my note book, l
wrote it on my cuff
So saying the dilapidated defend
ant handed the astOniShed ma2is-
trate the cuff, on which was written,
in clerkly hand, the following de-
Your honor, am a victim of crcum-
stances and of. belief in special provi-
dences. From my youth circumstances
have always been STUN ling-blocks to
me, and a belief in special proYidences
migrated on my childish mind by my
salnted mother. If it had not been for
circumstance should not have needed
or had the blanket l am accused of steal
ing. The circumstance that ! was with
out the necessary funds to pay for my
lodging led me walk along a street, the
name OF which | do not know, but which
is lined on each side with small shops,
late last night. l was hungry, cold and
sleepy. Suddenly in the midst of
SlIOuS anu DlllSIIy COiu OldSI Vi WIFI
there descended upon me with a great
flap and futter the blanket found in my
possession. l released my head and look
ed about me. There was no one in sight;
no apparent place from which it could
have fallen or been thrown. l walked
along and looked up at the second-Story
windows, but none of them were open,
and the lights in all the houses were out.
Where the blanket could have come from
at that hour-after midnight could
not conceive, l puzzled my brain to find
an explanation, but in vain. Suddenly l
thought of Elijah, who was ted by the
ravens. "Ahl'' 1 thought, this is one
of those special providences upon which
dear mother used to insist so strenuous
ly." Reassured by this explanation,
your honor, wendell my way with a
thankful heart to a neighboring hallway
and bestowed myself comfortably in the
protecting folds of my special providence.
After perusing this remarka BILE un-
laundered defense the magistrate
again called the storekeeper to the
stand and elected from him the in
formation that the blanket had hung
loosely over the wire outside his store
during the previous day, and that
when first missed in the morning the
shop boy confessed to having forgot
ten to take it in on the evening be-
fore. A policeman on the beat came
along shortly after closing time and
informed him of the capture of the
man and the recovery OF the blanket.
Tits possible, said the magistrate,
that this mans story is true. A
gust of wind may have blown the
blanket from the wire, sailing it
along the street until it alighted up
on his head and shoulders. He may
have been utterly at loss to tell
where it came from, and, suffering in
tensely from the cold, he may have
accepted its protection without real
ly intending to steal it. Danny Law
ton, shall give you the benefit OF
the doubt. Go and try to get on the
better side of ciecums tances, but
don't let another special providence
bring you before me, or it will go
hard with you"