Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-21
TWO CONDOLENCES.
MIGHT have FURNISHED FOOD FOR
THE Widest cREDuuTv.

The Widest CREOullTv.
Mr.. Clinton Was Naturally Astonished 1t
What the Doctors Servant Told Him.
How . Baltimore Man Recovered Fam
lily Plate Stolen Years Before,
Here are two veritable condolences
related az a Boston dinner table erst-
while. Both might have been based upon
any kind Of uncanny. fateful manipula-
tion Of circumstances. seemingly impos.
eible IL the natural order. had they been
introduced by any such motive They
are simply rare and curious sequences of
facts. true IN everything but names of
persons.
Mr. Clinton lived in Dorchester where
he had Large establishment. One night
his child's nurse was taken suddenly ill
with kind Of spasm. The woman's serv.
ices to the infant had been invaluable.
and her faithfulness had won her the re-
spect and affection Of her master. As
the coschman happened to be away that
evening and the necessity for the sery-
ices Of a physician was urgent. Mr.. Clin-
ton saddled his horse and rode hastily
into town and was very soon ringing at
the door Of the family doctor. in Boyl-
ston street. His inquiry Of the servant
maid who opened it if the doctor was at
home was met by reply which stupe.
fed him for q moment, so that he fell
back against the wall of the passage and
forgot the exigency of his errand.
'Dr., j. is out" said the girl. Mr..
Clinton. patient of his, came in on
horseback an hour ago. and asked him
to come ont of town to see a nurse in
his family who was in commissions. "
Recovering from the shock of an ap-
parent doppelgauger thus forced upon
his conception, questioning elected the
fact that the second patient. bearing his
own name, lived in Charlestown. In all
other things the circumstances concern
ing two persons of the same patronymic
was identical The hour, the illness,
the vocation Of the sufferer, the arrival
on horseback, were accidental coinci-
dences which led nowhere and meant
nothing. though they might, with stim-
ulating attributes, have furnished food
for the widest credulity.
A member Of the B. family of Balti-
more was sent fer one evening to see q
convict who had expressed such an ur-
gent desire for the interview that the
jailer acceded to his request to send the
message, which conveyed the singular
intimation that it might be much to the
gentleman advantage if he would
come to the prison. He found an evil
1poGir0 fo1loxr xy1,o 1,r,ry ;,,ck ~,oo,x.r1
a long sentence. which would in all
probability be a life one, had been
moved by remorse to communicate to
Mr.. b. certain facts in connection with
a robbery Of his family plate in which
he said he had been concerned several
years before. The robber told his aston
ished nearer. who had long given up
any hope Of detecting the criminal or
recovering the property, that he AID an
other were concerned in the crime. The
silver had been placed in a bundle
which was in his possession. His con-
federate was to meet him at an agreed
place on the night following the bur.
glary and they were then to make of to-
gether. but if he failed to keep the ap-
pointment it was a signal of danger,
and the fellow who had the "swag"
was to understand that he had better
get it out of his hands without delay
and secure his own safety. The appoint
ment was not kept. and the thief, de-
string to make an effort at restitution,
however unlikely. had sent for Mr.. B.
to tell him that he had thrown the
package over the wall of o certain
graveyard which he described, and that
it had fallen within the deor of a tomb
which was standing open and of which
he indicated the position.
Expressing suitable recognition Of the
intentions Of the repentant criminal, Mr..
B. left him. scarcely intending to pursue
the matter further. The next morning.
however. found him at the door of the
sexton in charge Of the burying place.
The sexton. on hearing the description
Of the tomb, showed at first some con-
fusion. which Mr.. b. understood when
he was reminded that the tomb described
was his own family vault, and the sex
ton. who had at once remembered gross
carelessness Of his own. went on to re-
call the fact that the time was that Of
the death and burial of u cousin of the
family, and to acknowledge that he had
never forgotten or forgiven himself the
accidental leaving Of the door of the
tomb open the night following the funer-
al. The two repaired to the tomb and
found the package inclosed within it,
the silver furnished. but untouched. just
as the thief had cast the family plate,
by an unequaled coincidence. into the
family burial place Of its owners. -Bos-
ton Transcript.
A Novel Will.