The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-20
SAVED BY A NAaRow MARGIN
stood on slippery flace Where Mis-
step Would Have iSeen Fatal.

stood a slippery ilace Where a Mis-
step Would Have seen Fatal.
From the Washington Star.
Were you ever suspected of muir
der?" inquired a government official of
Star reporter.
Never" responded the reporter, as
calmly as II questions Of that pleasing
character were his daily food.
well. 1 was once. and If you have
any feelings at all you need never
want to be-"
The reporter nodded for the off,
cial to proceed, and the official pro-
ceeded.
when was 20, or whereabouts" he
said, Il was hard case. / don't know
why, because my family were decent
people and had some money; but some
how 1 flew the track. and, before had
attained my majority / was gambler,
a drunkard and generally tough
character, though up to the time L am
about to tell L had never been in the
hands of the law. Living in my neigh
borhood was a man whom i hadn't
much use for. and IL 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 sun
set, as / was coming to town afoot,
met him walking to the station.
He stopped me, much to my sur
prise. and asked me If / had any
money, because If i had he would sell
me his watch for almost nothing. as
he was going to the city unexpectedly
and needed cash. AS IL happened, L
had two $40 bills and three s., which
had received from the station agent
not an hour before. and as the mans
watch was a good gold one l thought
/ had a chance to turn an honest PEN
ny, something j didn't do very often.
SO / opened negotiations. Several per-
sons we knew passed us as we were
dickering, and at last l went on home
with the watch and he went on to the
station with $25, including a $40 bill
with the station agents name on 1t.
in red ink, which had caused part
of our delay in the trade, as he didn't
want 1t and l insisted that he should
take it.
LAS il turned out, he had a reason
for not wanting IL, and l can't say
why / was so anxious for him to take
It, Well, next day, the mans dead
body was found in the woods quite
near the station and a mile from where
we had met and made our trade, and
IL was evident that he had been robbed
for his pockets were turned inside out
with the matter did not strike me un-
til the day after, when / was arrested
on suspicion. / was so badly ratified
by the shock Of the arrest on such
charge that / made my case worse by
talking, and when the mans watch
was found on me and IL was known
that / had been treating the crowd the
night of the murder. / hadn't any show
at all.
"Of course, / protested my innocence
and told my story, but people took II
with little grace, for my character was
known, and after an examining trial
/ was jailed without bail. What l suf-
fered nobody except myself can know.
and before a week had passed / had
made up my mind to commit suicide
and end the whole thing. L am sure l
would have done so, but Providence
had something else in store for me and
sent IL by a stranger. This man was
arrested as drunk and disorderly 10
days after my arrest and when he was
searched in the station house a $40 bill
was found on him bearing the station
agents name.
THE officep who searched him was a
friend of mine, and as soon as he got
his hands on the bill he thought ne had
found a way out of my difficulties and
went after my lawyer. Then they saw
the station agent, and he identified the
bill as the only one he had ever put
his name on, and remembered that l
jolxingly asked him to do II to make II
good. The next move was to make
few inquiries of the stranger as to how
he came into possession of the money.
This was done by waiting until next
morning, when he was sober, and
charging him directly with murder. 1t
was so sudden that he weakened on
the spot. as most murderers WILL and
the result was that l was saved.
Saved in more senses than one, too"
concluded the official, for from that
very day I lived a new life. and thank
God / have never fallen into evil
ways since. and that was 80 years
ago"
How do you explain your notion to
have the station agents signature on
the bill and your insisting on the man
taking it?" inquired the writer.
God moves in a mysterious way his
wonders to perform" was the reverent
reply.
And the man who did not want to
take the marked bill?"
HE was running away from justice.
He had spent every dollar of a fund
belonging to an orphan and had been
Led