Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-12-05
HE WAS HOMESICK.
so HE WAS EASILY LURED ACROSS
 THE MEXICAN LINE.

How an Amateur Detective outwitted an
 Embezzler-Posing as a Forger In Exile 1 Who Knew of Rich Deposit of Ore
 That Had Never Been Reported.
 1T never was in Mexico but once, and then l went as an amateur detective, said the mining expert 'sIt happened this way: A friend of mine i'll Pittsburg had his confidential clerk-to whom he had given an opportunity by trusting him fully--skip with BIO, 900. He knew where he was, just over the border from San Diego But he was safe, for he kept religiously on the wrong side of the line. Several detectives had been sent down there to lure him over, but in some way he had detected the detect i've in them, for they often acquire a professional air in spite of their best efforts to the contrary
 "I 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 bs a forger. I took up my abode in the wretched little town and ill about 24 hours was so sick of 1t that was on the point of throwing up the whole scheme and going back. But my friend had done me many 0 favor in business, and in decency I owed him some return Of course did not make the slick mans acquaintance. | was determined hs should make mine He held off for sev- eral days, evidently thinking l was 8 detective and expecting me to make, as they had always done, approaches to him. But kept away, as if were sus- pieious of him. The fellow was dread fully homesick, 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 me. l replied very coldly to his sa1utation, which only made him the moro anxious to know me. He began to inquire into my business and find out what had come for. I gave him no spe- cial satisfaction until one day l said that had come for @ change of air. With the same kind of air in the United States & few miles away this was, of course, ab- surd, and he concluded, as l intended he should, that was there for the same reason he was, but piled him with no questions Finally, in his impatience, he burst out with:
 ," Whats the use of keeping up this pretense longer? I know and you know that we are both on 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. Let's own up and have done with the farce So we confessed to each other, he tell ing me all about his crime, which | knew already, and I telling him all about my imaginary iniquity.
 'tThat 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 is would be almost pleasanter to give our- selves up and serve out our terms than to stay there the rest of our lives once or twice hinted that was ready to do SO But he wasn't, and knew 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 to see that he had made a very poor bag 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.
 1T had already interested him with my stories of fortunes that had been made i'll lucky mine investments, and told him I knew of one rich deposit which had never reported to any one. intending to invest the amount of my forgery in it's development if could get some more to put with it. l told him 1t was ill 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 the 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. I wrote Rt once for an officer to be ready 10 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 we'll take 1t easy. This proved contagious. and saw that Iwould have no difficult ty in getting him to the point had designated to the officers
 "We were riding slowly along in ths hot sun of the desert when suddenly from behind 0 butte two men on horses shot out and rode swiftly toward us and were upon us almost before we had tims to realize it. Although had expected them, confess was taken by surprise
 lit was done so quickly and success fully. Of course they handcuffed me aa well as him. But before we had reached the railroad station they had released