The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-15
PLAYED THE DUMMY.
A Boy Deceives Community for six
Months.
Colfax Cwash) Correspondence San Fam
cisco Chronicle.

Months.
Colfax CWash) Correspondence San Fan
cisco Chronicle.
This town has experienced a decided
sensation within the past fortnight, and
the young bloods and poker sharps here
about are now commiserating one another
on their common failings and follies. The
story in the premises is novel and rich.
Six months ago a deaf mute swung from
a brakebeam of an Dragon Short Line
freight train into Colfax. He was about 16
years of age and not bad looking; and
when he confronted a citizen with a tablet
and pencil and scratched down the tale
of his sad atfiiction, his poverty, and his
eagerness to find employment, il is no
wonder that the charitably inclined resi-
dent became the champion of the unfortu-
nate youth, and was instrumental in OBJ
tanning employment for him.
The youngster realized the answer to his
desires for a bread-winning occupation IN
the black-art department of a bristle-chas-
ing establishment. The BARRIERS patrons
jestingly expressed the hope that the deaf
mute would some day WELD the Damascus
blade and camel's hair brush of the ton
serial expert and finish up job of trim
ming, shaving shampooing, smuggling and
curling in a reasonable period of time
without frequently stopping to repeat last
years almanac jokes and smoker over
them in the patrons face.
Coifax's. age and youth had a world of
run and merriment at the expense of the
deaf mute. They called him all sorts of
comical names, and scolded and criticised
him in way that no boy with the faculty
of hearing would endure for a moment.
The more sage of the inhabitants would
sometimes observe that 't was lucky
for Brown and Smith that the bootblack
was stone deaf, for he'd smash the head
of one or both of them if he knew what
shameful things were said of him by
Smith and Brown"
But the poor boy went on polishing
target WaTipOnfnA
abuse and unlovely tongue-thrusts Of the
smart counter-jumper and the brazen-
faced card sharp.
The deaf mute, however became pop
ular among the townspeople. OF evenings
he frequented card rooms and INDUCED
in the gambling habit to an extent limited
only by his means. Smart clerks and
tricky card players put up jobs on dunn
my" They would engage him in poker
selves at the back of ''dummys" chair,
would overlook the deaf mutes hand and
call out the measure of its strength.
Dummy" somehow, played in luck. The
odds of the dishonest practices were adj
mittedly against him, but, nevertheless,
once in awhile his hand would, somehow
at his back and dummy" would fall in
for a winning. When the deaf mute cap
tured a pot his fellow players applied
base epithets to him. but he merely con-
tinued to smile his seemingly perpetual
smile. Compliments and "cuss words
We're all the same to him, because he
Six months after the deaf mute struck
Colfax, or about a fortnight ago, he SUD
denly dropped out of the community He
left between two days and did not leave
empty-handed. The townspeople were
naturally shocked to learn that the inno-
cent looking youth who could neither
speak nor hear, who was always to will
ing to do whatever service he was sig
nailed to perform, and who appeared to be
SO contented with his Colfax lot, had van
ished from the scenes that had known him
for half year-had vanished simultane-
ously with his employers stocks of razors
brushes, cosmetics and patent headwash
Now the barber is a sort of Sherlock
Holmes on a small scale When he dis
covered that dummy" and the shop sup
of the words that passed his lips NAV
have singed the dropping hairs of his
mustache. He bathed his head and be-
came cool; with GOODNESS came deliberate
thought, and, as result of elaboration
the master of strop and clipper sought the
sheriff of Whitman county and poured his
tale of woe into that officials ear The
fleeing dummy was located by descrip-
ton at the village of Garfield, ten miles
distant. The barber was deputized to ar
the first person he ran across was dunn
my" who, to the BARRIERS utter amaze
ment was with glib tongue seeking to in
duce tradesman to purchase the stolen
Charlie shultz, / want to see you," ex-
claimed the barber, recovering from his
Don't know you" replied the deaf
mute MY name is not shultz. What DO
The barber flashed the warrant for
"dummys" arrest and laid hold of the
articles in the prisoners possession. The
boy swore that he had never been i'm Col
fax and claimed that he had twin broth
er who was deaf-mute, but Shultz was
taken to Colfax, where magistrate charg-
ed him with grand larceny.
Your honor" said the late deaf mute.
''if you'll produce anybody who will
swear that these tools and things are
worth over $50 I'll plead guilty to grand
larceny"
AS result Of the boys keenness he was