Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-10-29

and had some Welsh rabbit and had
gone straight to bed. About midnight
he had been aroused by violent
knocking at the door, and on opening
1t had been gruiily told that he was
under arrest, and that he. was TO dress
pretty quickly.
Hurried by the officers, he had
hastily dressed himself, protesting
uselessly that the clothes he was hus-
tied into were not his, and was hur-
riod off to the station.
"No amount OF cross-questioning
could get him to vary or enlarge his
story, nor could he give me the slight
est reason for his arrest. As 10 his
beard, that had easily been explained
in answer to q question Of mine. Ow-
ing TO slight skin eruption contract
ed in Egypt, he had IL shaved off some
time ago.
The next step was TO get him bailed
out. This, found, was not so easy a
task.
my non-recognition ut first of my
friend was against him. The police
Justice next morning protested that
this prisoner was q confidence man
wanted for various offences, and that
he was certain Wilcox, alias Palver,
alias Moroney, and scoffingly declared
he would not let him out under $4,000
bail.
81 did not stay to argue the matter
out, but in less than an hour was back
with couple of friends Of we'll known
wealth and standing.
Next morning my client was in q
state of fever. easily got certif-
cate from my physician exaggerating
the illness.
HE remained in my house aud in
bed for nearly week. During that
time l had found out enough TO solve
the mystery to my moral satisfaction,
but not enough to convince a jury or
even any outsider. The solution OF
tho mystery was this:
'"The man with many aliases had
come by the same train as my friend
Rowley, had registered at the same
hotel and had been assigned room on
the same narrow corridor. BY some
chance, my friend, after supper, had
been given the key Of Mr.. Wilcox's
room and had gone straight to bed.
"Mr. Wilcox's Keen mind, ever bent
on covering up his tracks, on finding
that he had been given the wrong key, |
said nothing, examined my friends |
valise, and then the idea evidently
came 10 him that it would be a good !
thing if he could pass out OF the hotel
rs Mr.. r. Rowley.
"The probability was that he Row
Iey) was in his room. To open the
door was On easy thing for the crook.
Then he must have taken my friends
attire, leaving his in its place. This
effected, he paid his bill as Mr.. Row.
ley, saying he was going to catch the |
IL. 40 p. N, night express for Syracuse
md so vanished.
ellis resemblance in Wilcox's attire
vas 40 like the photos sent on TO the
people, and SO unlike his own photos,
hat, with the correspondence, papers,
'nrds and odds and ends which Wilcox
lad, either in haste or Intentionally,
eft in the coat aud vest pocket, and
which the police at the station had
'cized when they had searched him, /
'hudderingly felt the chances were all
II favor of a speedy conviction"
"What did You dor askedthe young
awyer.
what did Ido?" you ask. "I snug
,led him off on boat to Cuba and for
cited the bail. He was, as l said, n
'ich man. 1t was the simplest way
nut of the difficulty and the surest
still, my client, though perfectly in
iocent, is now a fugitive from Justice