The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-11-13

that you had no such idea and would
withdraw your offer, declaring that the
government compelled you to do so.
Meanwhile Johnson's Weekly would be
advertised up and down the land, and
everyone would want to see copy, and
your fortune would be made"
by Jove!" said Johnson, 81 believe
there's good deal in the idea. I'll
adopt it." And he did.
The scheme was arranged in this way:
Instead of the defunct one requiring to
have a copy of the paper on his person
when found, johnson issued card to
the person effecting the insurance; on
this card was the insurers name, and
also the name of The person insured. A
duplicate of this card was kept in John
sons Weekly office, and the lawyer said
the duplicate would be available in
fighting off the applicant for the c 1000.
The person applying for one of these
insurance cards had been sent in an an
nual subscription for the paper. When
the first number of Johnson's Weekly
came out he received few applications
for the insurance, but not SO many as
he expected. Curiously enough, he
found most of the applicants were
wives desiring to insure their husbands,
or husbands desiring to insure their
wives, and johnson looked forward
hopefully towards hearing of some do
mestic tragedy within the next week or
so, and in this he was not disappointed.
Among other appi:coti tions he received
was one from Mrs. Eildominie, of Man
chester, who wished to insure her hus-
band, Patrick Kildominie, so that she
might have some money to go on with,
should he meet with sudden and vio-
lent death. A week later Mr.. Johnson
was called upon by legal gentleman
from the north who brought Mrs. Kill
dominie's insurance card with him. He
wanted to know, he said, if this was all
right and proper, because Mrs. Kildom-
inie seemed to have great faith in it,
whereas the legal gentleman was rather
doubtful regarding it's validity. John
son assured him that it was all right,
and then the legal gentleman asked him
to certify that this was so on the back
of the card in the presence of the Man
chester lawyer, who said he had been
acting for the Kildominie family re-
Gently, and he wanted to be perfectly
certain of Johnson's signature. When
johnson had written on the card that
the legal gentleman required and signed
1t. the legal gentleman said he would
take the card over to Somerset house
and have it stamped SO that there would
be no question to debate If anything
happened to Patrick Kildominie. These
extraordinary precautions rather
alarmed Johnson, who asked some ques-
tions about the man insured, and was
told that he was in excellent health at
present, because, as johnson pointed
out to the lawyer, if Kildominie proved
to be sickly man liable to drop off at
any moment, no money could be collect
ed for natural death.
"Oh, I quite understand that" said
the lawyer. eve are all of us likely to
drop off, some unexpectedly and some
of us not" and with that the lawyer
took his leave and went, it is supposed,
stamped.
About a week later, when johnson was
coming to town his eye caught an item
in the paper that for a moment par
alyzed him. SIT was headed Execution
at Manchester" and went on to say that
Patrick Kildominie had been hanged
the morning before in Manchester Jail,
for the murder OF q feliew=workman
on the ship canal. Reporters, added
the paper, were not present, but it was
understood that everything had gone
off without a hitch.
Johnson's fears were only too well
founded. The widow from Manchester
and the legal gentleman who had de-
tended Patrick Kildominie during the
trial came down like wolves on the fold
with legally stamped document, and
collected all that poor Johnson owned.
This is why Johnson's Weekly did
not come out last week, to the great
disappointment Of it's numerous read
ers.-Detroit Free Press.