Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-10-02
FROM WALL STREET TO NEWGATE.
VIA THE PRIMROSE WAY.
BY AUSTIN BIDwELL.

were mentally planning for fight But
George, being man Of extraordinary
courage and resource as we'll, declared
we could and would retrieve the blum
der. He declared a bold step must be
taken; that as the bankers had only seen
the one credit the name Of Shipp, the
submanager, must be instantly put on
the others We had the genuine sigma
ture of J. P. Shipp on draft, and Mac
at once sat down to write it on all the
letters Itwas trying ordeal for him,
Macs nerves having had wrench. He
was a temperate man, but under the
circumstances we advised linn to take q
glass Of brandy to steady his nerves
Then placing the genuine signature be-
fore him and the forged letters he began
to put in the name. The signatures
were not we'll written, but under the
trying circumstances it was wonderful
ly we'll done All this had taken place
within half an hour after he had left
the bank
It was a trying ordeal, but Mao was
quite willing to do as George advised,
which was that he should take several Of
the letters and march boldly into the
fbank and say: Here are my letters
they are all right Both signatures are
on all my letters but the one. and from
that the second signature has been un-
Intentionally omitted. Georges last
word to Mac was: RELY on us to e1tri-
cate you from anything Keep cool
Act up to the character you have as
sumed. They can never fathom that the
names could have been written in 80
short time. Boldly offer them more
exchange on London, and if there is any
hesitation say you will transfer your
business to the English bank of Rio at
once.
He started on his decisive errand. fol-
lowed byias in miserable state Of anx-
iety. he was net. long in the bank, but
returned empty handed Opoa meeting
at the designated place he informed US
the manager was evidently agreeably
surprised when shown the letters with
both signatures and transferred the in
dorsement from the letter that had but
one signature to one with two
Once more we had matters all right
and the broken place patched up again,
but 1t behooved us not to do so any
more. But we did
The steamer we purposed to load our
money ON and ourselves, too, was the
Chimborazo, advertised to arrive on
Tuesday and to leave for the river
Plate and the west coast the next day.
So it was agreed that on Monday Mac
should 20 to the bank and arrange to
cash his letters for e20, 900 or ESQ, 900
and 20 the next day for the money.
Monday came We expected nerv-
GUS day, not such paralyzingly nerv-
ous one as it proved to be. In fact,
nervous Tuesday followed nervous
Monday. My reader must remember
that we were in the tropics, with blaz-
ing sun looking down Oh rs with an in
tensity that made one long for Green
land g icy mountains to cool Us.
We went into the public park for our
last consultation before our fortune.
which never came, was to come.
Mac had in the little morocco case in
his pocket two letters, each for EGO, O00.
Certainly no man in the world but him.
self could have carried off such game
played for such high stakes. Handsome
in person, faultless in address, cool IN
nerve, a master of all the languages
spoken in Rio-Portuguese, Spanish,
Italian and French Above all, he had
boundless confidence in himself. What
an honorable future might have been his
but for his youthful follesl Truly he
could have achieved wonderful sue
cess in any honorable career. Unhappily
for him, he, like thousands Of our brain
lest youth. had entered the Primrose
Way In our youthful fire and thought
lessness we saw only the flowers and
heard the siren s songs, but at last the
Primrose Way led US down into gloom
where all the flowers withered and the
gay songs turned into dirgea
Looking at his watch, Mac jumped
up, saying, 1T is 10 :45 and time to
be Off" " SO he started for the bank. we
following ut some distance, our nerves
all OH the stretch, We felt that our lives
and fortunes were trembling in the bal.
ance. While watching we saw several
persons enter or leave the bank. and
still our friend delayed his appearance
To our suspicious minds there ap'
peared to be strange movements about
the bank that BODIED i'll for us A thou
sand suspicious born Of our fears came
and went through our minds until at
last, unable to endure the suspense,
entered the bank myself and stood
there. pretending l was waiting for
some one. sharply scrutinized every
one and everything. Mac was some
where out of sight in the private offices
The clerks were gossiping together, and
that to me was suspicious. Then, to my
alarm, q bank clerk entered from the
street with an eagle eyed man, He
brew evidently, Of about 45 years of age
Both passed hurriedly into the private
office, leaving me in an agony Of sus'
pense My only relief at that moment
was the thought that George and my,
self had not as yet compromised our
selves, and could, in the event Of Macs
arrest, manage to save him. either by
bribery or rescue.
Without appearing to do so I watched
THAT dingy, mottled door leading into
the private Office. until every crack and
seam in twas photographed indelibly
on my brain.
| In the trying periods Of ones life,
when the heart and soul are on the
rack, how strangely trihing details of
the objects about one will be noticed