Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-12-22
HE WAS HOMEsICK.
so HE WAS EASILY LuRED ACROSS
 THE MEXICAN LINE.

said the mining expert "It happened i had his confidential clerk-to whom he had given an opportunity by trusting him fully-slzip with $1o, 900. HelSnew where he was, just over the border from San Diego. But he was safe, for he kept reiigiously on the wrong sile of the line. Several detectives had been sent down there to lure him over, but in some way he had detected the detect, ivo in them, for they often acquire professional air in spite of their best efforts to tho contrary.
 'tI knew that my only chance would be to go and live there as a fugitive from justice myself and so secure his entire confidence. I decided to be a forger. I took up my abode i'll the wretched little town and in about 24 hours was so sick of it that was on the point of throwing up the whole scheme and going back But my friend had done mo many favor in business, and in decency owed him some return. Of course did not mako the slick man s acquaintance. l was determined he should make mine He hold off for sew eral days, evidently thinking I was 6 detective and expecting mo to make, as they had always dono, approaches to him. But kept away, as if l were sus- picious of him. The follow was dread fully homesiek, and don't wonder, in that place. He used to go out on the desert and look at the stars and stripes across the border and wish he dared go back. He evidently began to think he was worse imprisoned than if he had been in some penitentiary.
 Finally one day he ventured to ad- dress mo. l replied very coldly to his salutation, which only made him the more anxious to know me. He began to 1 inquire into my business and find out l what had come for. l gave him no spe- eial satisfaction until one day I said that had come for a change of air. With the same kind of air in the United States a l few miles away this was, of course, ab- surd, and he concluded, as I intended he should, that was there for the same reason he was, but piled him with no l questions. Finally, ill his impatience, he burst out with:
 !" Whats the use of keeping up this pretense longer? I know and you know 1 that we are both OH the same errand down here. It is true, as you say, we can't live over there'-pointing to- ward the country over the border. sLet'a own up and have done with the farce. So WIG confessed to each other, he tell ing me all about his crime, which ! knew already, and I telling him all about my imaginary iniquity.
 "That was as far as we got for awhile, but it did him good. For it left him free to talk He was very home sick, and we both acknowledged that ie would be almost pleasanter to give our selves up and serve out our terms than | to stay there the rest of our lives. I once or twice hinted that was ready to do so. But he wasn t, and I know that no ordinary inducement would get him where he could be taken. But he had no opportunity of investing his money, and his cupidity naturally forced him 
 gain if all he was to get out of his ras- cality was to sit and spend it slowly in that little hole of Mexican town.
 'fI had already interested him with my stories of fortunes that had been made i'll lucky mine investments and | told him I knew of ono rich deposit which I had never reported to any one, | intending to invest the amount of my forgery in it's development if l could get some more to put with it. told him it was in an out of the way local | ity in southern Arizona, and that we could get there without detection if we would go on foot or burro back and avoid tho railroads Finally he con cluded that he was willing to take the risk if would and go and look at the property. The rest was easy. 1 wrote at once for an officer to be readyte head ns off while crossing the Colorado river. We had travelled some distance without being challenged or exciting suspicion threw off my pretended apprehension, declared that we were safe from all in- terference and that we might as well take it easy. This proved contagious, nnd I saw that would have no difficult ty in getting him to the point had designated to the officers.
 "We were riding slowly along in tho hot sun of the desert when suddenly Rroln behind butte two men on horses shot out and rode swiftly toward us and were upon us almost before we had time to realize it. Although I had expected them, I confess was taken by surprise it was done so quickly and success fully. Of course they handcuffed me as well as him. But before we had reached the railroad station they had released me. and he understood how he had been fooled. I expected he would burst ous in curses aud reproaches, especially when they confscated what he had left of his stealings But he didn't. In faess It was so great relief that he made Esl ae&e1ee at the trial and took his
 There is danger in the electric arc !