Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1899-01-17
"Thsre 10 ts," I shouted.

LET NJ have your Key, then, said
the consul, "and see IL IL fts "
handed 1t TO him, and in few min.
utes he said:
"Mr. Boggs, IL is useless TO play this
double game any longer. Though there
a.e some errors. 1t Is easy enough 10
translate. This message IL exactly the
one published IN The Globe this morn
ing. Mr.. Marshal, am sorry, but you
must execute that warrant and hold
Mr. Boggs for trial"
It is useless TO tell how expostulat-
ed, swore, pleaded and explained. The
damning evidence was against me, and
all thew wonld allow ma was time %
write out the statement for the press
which had commenced. A fourth time
| began il. and again the letters came
ell wrong. was fairly dazed. Finally
All idea seized me. picked up the ca
blegram | had originally written and
read il. Strangely enough, IL came out
in the cipher just as bad sent it % the
telegraph office. I showed IL to the con-
sui in triumph
"There. " said, ''it is the machines
fault Some one has tampered with my
machine, and il writes cipher instead OF
English. Sec.
They didn't see at first, but when |
showed how it worked the consul re-
marked:
Very ingenious, Mr.. Boggs, but you
are fool to have changed the letters
on your machine so a. Ia write cipher.
It's clean give away. ."
"But didn't do il, " cried. "Some
enemy has done this TO ruin me-"
Nonsense, laid the marshal. "Do
you suppose any one could accidentally
misplace the lines in that machine 10
ft your cipher: Do you remember that
example in permutations in the arith-
metic about the number of ways in
which the letters Of the alphabet can be
placed? Why, there's trillions OF bill
lions Of ways, and no one could do IL
but yourself. Come along, and We will
see about bail.
Bitterly did / curse the day that l
ever set eyes on BOsenko. | was held
in s25, 900 bail for court. / sent TO the
different selling agents OF arms with
whom had dealt, but they all indig-
nantly denied any knowledge OF me.
They were afraid Of being caught in
the game. 20 staid in Jail, but was
satisfied that as soon a. the Barcelona
reached Cordova with the provisions
would be released. Unfortunately the
Barcelona went down with all on board
of Cape Hatteras, and | should prob
ably have been sent TO the penitentiary
for years had not General Moreno sud.
denly recovered from the govt, descend.
ed on COrdoya and carried out suc-
cessful revolution. Bosenko was re-
leased. but exiled at the demand OF the
syndicate and his property confiscated.
After long negotiation was released
three weeks before Cuzco's last success
full counter revolution.
But my money is now gone. am
broken i'll reputation and am an out
cast. | have at last. however, solved
the whole mystery On the day dis
charged my office boy he performed the
deed that undid me. He has confessed
the whole story under my threat OF
prosecuting him, though | don't know
what | could prosecute him for. lt
seems that, enraged over his dis
charge, he resolved to do me as much
mischief as he could and looked around
for an opportunity. Finally he lighted
OIL the typewriter as the best object and
from pure malice decided TO change
some Of the letters 80 as TO annoy me.
He was familiar enough with the ma
chine 20 do this with few tools he
borrowed from neighboring Office on
the plea that he wanted 10 replace some
battered letters First he exchanged
"a" for ~" Then be exchanged "b"
for I'm" This was about all he had
intended 10 do but seeing that IL was
easy he concluded to change them all,
which he did with the exception Of the
figures aud odd characters. He claims
that he did this in hit or miss fashion,
without any idea Of my cipher, which
he had never seen and which had never
left my possession. Nevertheless the
changes he made did exactly fit the
cipher with few trifiing exceptions,
which Walling had noted, but which
were easily adjusted in translating.
That he should have accomplished this
may seem beyond belief, but can only
point to the above official records for
proof.
When think that might now be
major general and secretary Of the
treasury Of Castaragua, worth 81, l,000,-
600 at least, it makes my blood boil to
know was kept out Of it all by an ac.
cident that might happen only once In
5 billion decillion times.
am getting 80 q week as barker for
a secondhand clothing store on the
Bowery, waiting for another accident
to land me on velvet again, but the
waiting il tiresome and the chances
seem much against me.
have written this truthful nara.
tive in justice to myself to prove that l
am an innocent man who has suffered
from tragedy in permutations. am
sure no one can doubt il.
The first permanent military force in
En- sland was the kings guard Of yeo-