The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-10-19


then went as an amateur detective"
sad tho mining expert. cit happened
this way: A friend of mine in Pittsburg
had his confidential clerk-to whom he
mad given an opportunity by trusting
him fully-skip with $40, 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 luye him over, but
Ill some way he had detected the detect
i've in them, for they often acquire
professional air in spite Of their best
efforts to tho contrary.
II knew that my only chance would
be to go and live there as a fugitive
from Justice myself and so secure his
entiro confidence. 1 decided to be
forger. 1 took up my abode in tho
wretched little town and in about "a
hours was SO sick of it that L was on tho
point of throwing up the whole schcme
and going back. But my friend had
done mo many II favor i'll business and
i'll decency owed him some return. OF
course did not mako tho slick mans
acquaintance. was determined he
should mako mine He held off for sew
eral days, evidently thinking l was a
detective and expecting inc to make, as
they had always done, approaches to
him. But kept away, as if were sus-
picious Of him. The fellow was dread
fully homeSicl1, and I don't wonder, in
that place. Ho used to go out on tho
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 i'll some penitentiary
Finally one day he ventured to nd
dress me. 1 replied very coldly to his
salutation, which only made him the
moro anxious to know me. Ho began to
inquire into my business and find out
what had come for. gave him no spe-
cial satisfaction until one day said that
had come for u change of air. With the
same kind of mir in tho United States
few miles away this was, of course, alb
surd, and no concluded, as intended
he should, that was there for the same
reason he was, but 1 piled him with no
questions. Finally, i'll his impatience.
he burst out with:
WHAT'S the use of keeping up this
pretense longer? know and you know
that we are both on tho same errand
down here. 1t 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 mo all about his crime, which
knew already, and 1 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 it
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 limited 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 very poor bar
gam II all he was to get out of his ras-
cality was to sit and spend it slowly in
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 l knew of ono rich deposit
which had never reported to any one,
intending to invest the amount Of my
forgery i'll it's Development if 1 could
get some more to put with it. / told
him 1T was i'll an out of the way local
1ty i'll 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 L would and go and look at the
property. The rest was easy. 1 wrote
Mt 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.
threw off my pretended apprehension,
declared that we were safe from all in
reference and that we might as we'll
take it easy. This proved contagious,
and saw that would have no Difficult
ty in getting him to the point I had
designated to the officers
eve were riding slowly along in the
hot sun of the desert when suddenly
from behind n 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 1 had expected
them, confess was taken by surprise
it was done SO quickly and success
fully. OF course they handcuffed mo as
we'll as him. But before we had reached