Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-11-30

The business man who knows a good
story-that is sufficient description
to give of the central figure in oue of
the most interesting little home dramas
ever enacted among parties intimately
connected with this city. Some time
since the business man who appreciates
a good plot for a story. informed me
that he had some material from rea
life that he thought would work uI
nicely in story form. and that. too,
without any undue establishment. Al
the man had frequently given evi
dences of good taste in that line, | was
fam to believe that his surmise with
regard to whatever material he had
was in the main correct. and | decided
to test it, Accordingly. Just the othel
day stopped in his store and said:
Now, sir. you said you had ths
stuff for good yarn. Spin it out ano
I'll listen.'
At first he said he did not have time
to do more than sketch it out, and he
star ted to give the outline. By th'
time the outline was finished, th'
whole story was so indelibly impressed
| tHdt IL nus tdhcu q notioA W hCii iioCA
THE BUSINESS MANS STORY.
lyon have heard % old Judge Blod
gett, CT the Federal court in Chicago
He's a crippled man, you know. H'
is famous for the terribly heavy sen
fences he gives men when they ar
found to be guilty beyond = doubt
Well, / was working on LaSalle stree
Ia he ht1,l1l in,
where the Federal court sessions wer
held, and about once a week the o.he
clerks and l used to go across tn
street and see Judge Blodgett sentenc
a man. One day when we went over
there sat prisoner in the do.k. h
had his hat pulled down over bis face
but from what | saw of the lower par
of his countenance | recognized him.
said To the other clerks:
know that prisoner. | used t
go to school with him.
They laughed at me, of course
But | said, He's blind of one eye
| if he's got one blind eye I'm right
| Again they laughed, but | went u
close TO the prisoner and said: -
what in the world are you doing here
With a start he looked up and said
| For Gods sake don't mention ~
| name. I've been going under an a:
sumed name all through this trial. 1t
a set up job. I'm not guilty, but TO
heavens sake don't say word TO tn
judge or anybody. You can't help M
IN the least. I'm done for and 20
| ~ ght as well let me alone
Il replied, Well, | think | can hel
you, though, | used TO be with th
judge in a clerkship, and worked wit
him for years. There isn't man i
Chicago | know more intimately thai
| do Judge Blodgett. can speak
word to him that will save you it any
thing can. He is q just man, and
his is set up Job and he is convince,
of IL he will not sentence you to i'm
prisonment. I'll do what can
Well, he said you may try, bu
you can't do me any good
Il stepped to the jldge and told bin
the story. l told him that l knew the
fellow, that we had gone to school to
gether, that we had been school
mates and Sunday school mates an,
that he had always been straigh
boy. | told him the young man cam
from one of the best families in tn
world, a good, old . Iaker family O
Richmond, Ind, aud that | though
he ought to be given the best possibl,
chance for his liberty and for tn,
establishment of his innocence
| told him that if he would sta,
the sentence l would get
bundle of testimony together tina
would show beyond shadow of
doubt that the evidence had been mis-
taken and that the man had a col
character.
The judge then arose with his on,
short limb and said that he was pleased
% see his young friend tax,
such interest in the welfare of the pris
oner and IN seeing justice done him
and that he would stay the sentence
until the last thing that evening in or
der to give me a chance to get together
the testimony | claimed to be able L
produce to prove the innocence of the
prisoner.
Immediately started out with s
buggy and gathered up all the Rich
mond people of Quaker families
could find in Chicago. and all of the
men | got stood we'll. dressed well
We're respected citizens of good charac-
ter and some means. All of them but
one had been school mates of the pris.
oner ar the bar. and while they were
instructed TO stick to the fictitious name
gwen by the prisoner TO protect him
-nt