The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1897-10-07
HE WAS llOMESICK.
SO HE WAS EASILY LuReD ACROSS
TIE MEXICAN LINE.

Who Knew of a Rich Deposit of Ore
That Had Never Been Reported.
Il never was in Mexico but once, and
lhen went as an amateur detective, "
said the mining expert 1T happened
this way A friend Of mine in Pittsburg
had his confidential clcrk-to whom he
had given an opportunity by trusting
him fully-skip with SIC, 900. He knew
vS>are 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
Il knew that my only chance would
be to go and live there as fugitive
from justice myself and so secure his
entire confidence. | decided to be
forger. / took up my abode in the
wretched little town and in about "a
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 me many favor i'll business, and
in decency | owed him some return OF
course | did not make the slick mans
acquaintance. / was determined he
should make mine. He held off for sew
eral days, evidently thinking l was
detective and expecting me to make, as
they had always done, approaches TO
him. But kept away, as if l were sus-
picious of him The fellow was dread
fully homesiek, and | don 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 adj
dress me. l replied very coldly to his
salutation, which only made him the
more anxious to know me. lie began to
inquire into my business and find out
what l had come for l 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, alb
surd, and he concluded as ! intended
he should, that was there for the same
reason he was, but | piled him with no
questions. Finally, i'll his Impotence,
he burst out with:
What's the Use of keeping up this
that we are both ON the same errand
down here. 1t is true, as you say, W.
can't live over there pointing to-
} ward the country over the border Let :
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 l 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 worry home
t sick, and we both acknowledged that it
; would be almost pleasanter to give our
selves up and serve out our terms than
to stay there the rest OF our lives l once
or twice limited that l was ready to do
SO. But he wasn't and | knew that no
J ordinary inducement would get him
where he could be taken But he had
> no opportunity of investing his money
J and his cupidity naturally forced him
to see that he had made very poor bar
z gain if all he was to get out Of his ras-
: cality was to sit and spend it slowly i'll
that little hole of Mexican town.
Il had already Interested him with
my stories of fortunes that had been
made in lucky mine Investments, and
, told him | knew of one rich deposit
which l had never reported to any one,
intending to invest the amount of my
forgery in its development if | could
get some more to put with it. | told
t him it was i'll an out Of the way local
t 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
J risk if l would and go and look at the
property Tho rest was easy. | wrote
at once for an officer to be ready to head
US off while crossing the Colorado river.
We had travelled some distance without
being challenged or exciting suspicion.
l threw off my pretended apprehension,
declared that we We're safe from all in
reference and that we might as well
T take it easy. This proved contagious,
and l saw that would have no Difficult
ty in getting him to the point | had
designated to the officers.
I'VE were riding slowly along in the
hot sun of the desert when suddenly
from behind butte two men on horses
shot out and rode swiftly toward us and
We're upon us almost before we had time
to realize it. Although l had expected
them, / 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. | expected he would burst out
in curses and reproaches, especially
when they conhscated what he had left
of his stealings But he didn t. In fact,
it was so great a relief that he made no
defense at the triad and took his sen
tence with great indifference. l would
hardly have been surprised if he had
thanked me for the favor-he was Sc
thoroughly sick Of exile. "-Chicagc
EnRland's shortest Railway.
The shortest railway line in Great