The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-07-09
BY ANARROW MARGIN
HOW A MANS LIFE WAS SAVED BY A
MARKED $40 BILL.
Accused OF Numbering a Neighbor, and
the Circumstantial Evidence Was Very
strong-A Government oniciaI Tells Why
He Changed His Ways.

the CircumstantiaI Evidence Was Very
Strong A Government onicial Tells why
He Changed His Ways.
"Wero you ever suspected Of muir
ler:. inquired a government official of
Star reporter.
"Sevor, responded the reporter as
,almly rs II questions Of that pleasing
character We're his daily food
well, WIS once, and if you have
any feelings at all You need never want
to be. .
The reporter nodded fer the official to
proceed, ana the official proceeded.
when l Wis 20 or thercabout. " he
said, q was hard case | don't know
Why, because my family were decent
people and had some money, but some
how | flew the track, and before | had
attained my majority | WIS Il gambler,
L drunkard and gcnerallya tough char
acter, though up 10 the time am about
to tell of | had never been III the hands
of the law. Living i'll my ncighborhood
was Il man whom | hadn't much use
for and it was known we were not
friends, though we were ON speaking
terms and had some business relations
Our town was about three miles from
the railroad station, and one November
evening, just about sunset, as | was
coming to toNn afOot, | met HIM walk
ing To the station
He stopped me, much to my sur
prise and asked ne if had any money,
because if | lad he would sell me his
watch for almost nothing, as he was
going to the city unexpectedly and
needed cash. As it happened, ! had two
$40 bills and three 50, which | had re-
ceiyed from the station agent net an
hour before, and as the mans watch
was good gold one | thought | had
chance to turn an honest penny, some
thing | didn t do very often. So opened
negotiations. Several persons we knew
passed us as we We're dickcring, and at
last went on homo with the watch, and
he went ON to the station with $50, in
Guiding SO bill with the station
agents name on it in red ink, which
had caused part of our delay in the
trade, us he didn't Want it, and | in
sisted that he take it.
AS it turned out, he had reason
for not wanting it, and | can't say why
| was so anxious for him to take it.
Well, next day ohe mans dead body
was found in the woods quite near the
station and IL mile from where we had
met and made our trade, and it was
evident that he had been robbed. for his
pockets were turned inside out and ov-
erything taken. My connection with
the matter did not strike me until the
day after when | was arrested on suspi-
cion. was so badly ratified by the
shock of the arrest on such charge
that | made my case worse by talking,
and when the man $ watch was found
on me and it was known that | had
been treating the crowd the night of
the murder, | hadn't any show at all.
''Of course l protested my innocence
and told my story, but people took it
with little grace, for my character was
known, and after an examining trial
was jailed without bail What | suf-
fered nobody except myself can know,
az D0A0iO "cOn H"'' P"'o.' 'i's"
made up my mind to commit suicide
and end the whole thing | am sure
would have done so, but providence had
something else IN store for me, and sent
IL by Il stranger. inns man was arrested
aS oruiih ana alspIaefiH Ten Jays ai'er
my arrest ana "heh ne was Se'r'l'a
III 'he STATION mouse Il sio olil Was iouna
Oh nm bearing 'ile station agent :
halne,
Inc oHieef VINO se''tell'u MN was IL
irlelia q lllhg' a'.n as soon us ne R'e
MS ii;'ii'S Oh III, pa nc 3ilouSlt Nc ii'u
louia way eu1 OIL NY ai"Ieull'eS ANA
Went "ll'f ny i'"yeE llou tHeH S'"
,h l,, station a5es't ana ne i"ehilileu i ,i
piIi is 'he oalJ one ne itl over put ms
name oA' aha IClI'el"99i',l ,a31 ii'''
Johlh8Ig asked ma 10 40 1t 10 MAKE 1t
6oo'. Ane L. iiiofS '' u iii'No