The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1899-06-24
Worth Reading.

ton, which wOs held in the city o
Louisville, on Wednesday, May L.
by Mr.. Geo. l.. Payne, of this city
and il well worth reading:
"A CONVICT IN DISGUISE"
Up in my town once lived a patient
mai, whose landlady feasted hin, on
rabbit until he was 30 saturated VITA
rabbit that he became terrOr-strirken
at the sight of every dog. A diet of
criminal prosecutions and grand jury
proceedings gives me nova days SEN
sations Of a peculiar, II not similar
nature. am constantly on the alert
for fear the strong hand of the sheriff
will be laid on my shoulder, and 1
shall be landed behind the bars.
Whether on the street, in my office,
or even in the usual quiet hours of
the night, l find my mind i'm state
of perpetual unrest and anxiety for
the future. Time was when | had
no fear of Commemorative Attor-
neys, Circuit Judges and juries, and
/ looked upon these worthless with
the same afiectiOnate regard rs upon
other ordinary folks. But now,
when come in sight Of one of these
guardians Of the peoples rights,
who are determined to relieve the
oppressed from the hands of ICON
spiratorsa and tyrants," instinctively
feel inclined to take to the woods,
and wait for it to "blow over"
To those uniformed of what has
been going on in the courts up in our
part of the State, the noted Blue
Grass country, will say, we are at
last discovered. l am told by jury
of my peers that have been "A Con-
vict in Disguise" for the past 10
years, yet did not know it until 80
Informed by twelve honest farmers
sitting in judgment on "conspir-
acy" which has existed since the
memory of man runneth not to the
contrary. They adjudged as "crim-
inals" the old and honOred fire COM
panies l represent, and said they
should be punished as such.
We have gone along too peacefully
all these years, dealing out protection
against loss by fire to our friends and
neighbors, aiming to give and take
whatever share of the bitter and
sweet which time should decree as
our portion. When we recall the
many long years we so successfully
played our hand at rObbing the peO-
pie, marvel that we were not sooner
discovered and the punishment made
TO fit the crime. Where are all the
Commonwealth Attorneys, Circuit
Judges and grand juries that have
gone before? In these days of a new
departure in "criminal chasing" L
fancy / see many of them turning in
their collins and striking out wildly
right and left in a vain endeavOr to
free themselves from long confine-
ment and torturing conscience, in
order to get back to this world just
long enough to ask dear peoples
forgiveness for not bringing the
octopus" to earth during the days
of their pilgrimage here. Perhaps
some of them even now are receiv-
ing the just punishment that should
be melted out to them for their many
sins of omission in the way of duty
left undone.
1t is of little consequence to us
solder criminals" who come out of
the smoke of battle with well filed
pocket books, whether school keeps !
or not, but what Is to become of J
those who, like the railroad con-
ductOr, haven't been in the business
long enough to own diamond pin {
and pony phaeton? Our sympa- I
thies go out to these younger breth- [
rem who are just beginning a Grim c
inal career, and are now being in
itiateu into "Ways that are dark and c
tricks that are vain," and who have I
not yet learned the lessons necessary /
to round them off as accomplished !
and fit them for cOntinu- c
ing the systematic robbery incident e
to securing the we'll filled purse. a
When / look around me to-day and a
see so many of my older comrades i
In crime," who have grown fat sell &
ing gold bricks to farmers in the Il
shape of insurance policies, am not fl
that certain guardians of I
he dear peoples interests, out of a
purely philanthrOpic. motives, come v
orwald to relieve them of all their d
ancied ills, determined to crush out II
he Octopus" and all its hirelings. d
You deserve no better fate. You r
nave been leeches on your several Ii
long enough, and the p
lecrte has gone forth that forever n
lel, AFTER you shall be estopped from II
'our old time neiarious practices. | s,
congratulate the agents up in my G
own That all could grow fat and c;
assy on commissions before the p
iglitning struck and discovered il
hem. The 81 800 that annually gos O
nto the pockets of my fellow agents il
n Frankfort IAN average Of $3.50 rt
ear 10 each agency, was too great "
u eXtOftion TO be longer hidden or "