The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-06
PAUL BEALES.

Como out to our coast, boy" said q
big child of San Francisco tho other
day, "nnd we'll give you something to
write about"
For instance?'
"Wc1l tell you tho story Of Paul
Beales.
Who was Paul Beales:''
Paul Boales was bank cashier in or
near Williamsport, Pa, along about tho
year 1910. In those days there We're no
express companies, and once Il month OF
once quarter Paul Bcales, like all the
bank cashiers of interior Pennsylvania,
had to 90 To Philadelphia to adjust his
balance with the lslnk which CORE
spondcd with his own. Paul started one
day from WilliamSport with $50, 600,
which he had to take i'll person TO the
Farmers and Mechanics, and he ar
rived Ill Philadelphia next day at noon
He WIS IA temperate, virtuous, respected
married man, popular with everybody
and well do do
But ON this occasion Paul Eealcs was
possessed with tie demon Of postpone
mcnt, and being ireu of travel he did
not go PROMPTLY to the bank, Int loungeLl
about the iiutcl till evening. Then he
felt the other demon of rccklessncss.
that never came before, come To him
and suggest that no make night OF it.
In few minutes he was i'll Il gambling
saloon and had shortened his acoonnt
some thousands of dollars
The next morning the bank received
thrce-fourths of the money from Will
Transport i'll an anonymous letter, and
Paul Bealcs was missing They searched
for him high and low in vain. it was
believed that he had been murdered,
and his widow put Oh mourning, while
all the community griovcd for him
About that time there arrived irCali-
fornia one Daniel Clarlison. Il fine look
ing, affable man, with little money but
big will, and he plunged at once into
mining and BUSINESS. He was honest
and popular, and every man. woman
and child soon learned 10 love him. He
was married after some years TO "a fine
Pacific coast woman, one who was IA
dead shot with I; pistol and had Ill the
virtues that bloom beyond the Sicrr;
Nevada, and i'll course of time we had
nominated Daniel Clarkson FIR :!yunta-
mientc, or mayor Of tho city Of San
Francisco.
While he was waiting one DIS on
Montgomery street man from Penn
sylvanla stepped up In him suddenly
and, putting ont his hand, said:
Paul, how do you do?"
Fright well, / thank you, sir, sex
claimed Daniel Clarkson, "but, after
q pause, lyon have mistaken me for
some ono olse!'
Excuse me- said the man, '@'but
was sure L had found Paul Beales Of
Williamsport.
Daniel Clarkson continued on down
tho street. and pretty soon he came Ia a
daguerrcotypo saloon before the door of
which, conspicuous jill Il showcase, hung
"a portrait of himself, the most popular
man i'll San Francisco. Bearded and
grown older and with that look OF phi
losophic thought which wide experience
gives, he made the prompt resolve to
buy il picture of Daniel Clarlsom and
send it to the mayor of Williamspprt to
inquire if he rosembled in any manner
the missing Paul Beales. This, perhaps.
was tho madness which let's out muir
der; but, confident and self possessed,
the fugitive cashier did it.
The mayor and his friends unused
over the picture and saw il resemblance.
but at last concluded to abide by the de
cision of the widow of Paul Bcalcs. She
had been waiting all those years, hope
ful that the decps Of time would give
up their secret some day, and when she
saw the picture of Daniel Clarkso.l she
recognized her husband and fell faint
ing to the floor.
AT that day u wretch subsisteCl in CAL
ifornia who earned his ignominious
bread by Matchmaking the. citizens i'll
the columns of vile print. He began
by calling Daniel Clarkson bank rob
Der and thief and said ho was fine fig
uro for an ayuntamiente. He filled his
paper with the name of Paul Bealcs,
and the whole city looked up astonished
to SEQ its most respectable merchant
maligncd in this way. If Clarkson had
killed the matchmaker, no would have
been justified OH every side. Not so.
He protested that ho had always been
Daniel Clarkson, and that he had never
i,onrJ oc Da,I Dc.Io. .,,,l -.,