The true northerner., 1899-05-17
A HARD LUCK Sl0I.Y.
Written FOR Thls Paner.

ting around the restaurant ldDle enjoying
the privilege OF an after-luncheon cigar there
because smoking was forbidden in the work
room. Someone started TO tell hard luck
Stories and they went the rounds OF the lit
tie party. one after another telling OF some
way in which he had lost money by being
accommodating to friends, relatives, ac-
nuaintanceS or strangers.
There was a story of the sick man in a
distant city, and the impoverished relative
who wanted TO see him again before he died.
OF money loaned on many promises of
speedy return, which were never fulfilled.
All of them had one or more experiences of
that kind excepting the foreman of the press
room, who had not yet related story.
He sat on the far side of the table with
his chair tipped back against the wall and
had listened 10 all that had been told.
you're supposed to be an easy mark,
John; didn't anyone ever get the best OF
your asked the artist.
IL should say they die" replied the press
man, "and | was sitting here listening to the
rest of you kick about things which were as
nothing compared to my case. / think
have the very worst kind of a hard-luck
story in that line that il is possible for any
one of you TO imagine. / lost money n help
ing to get man out of the penitentiary.
''Some years ago a man here in the city
was convicted of embezzling several thou.
sand dollars of his employers money. Not
having known the man, did not hear of the
case while he was getting into the pen, but
/ certainly did when he wanted to get out.
The ease 81 they tell me, ran along for
some time before il was finally brought TO
trial, no effort having been spared 10y the
local politicians to hush the matter up and
settle the whole thing out of court, as the
guilty party was somewhat interested in
politics himself, and it was his political
friends who tried TO save him. But adj of
their efforts were of no avail, and when the
case finally came to trial the man was con
victed and sent up for his sins.
''No sooner was he in the pen than his
friends began trying to get him out As it
happened, an eX-alderman of the city had
the esame nameas that of the convict's former
employerand they got him to head petition
for pardon. The petition was circulated
among the politicians of the city, and in
fact anybody who would sign it, until more
than 1900 names had been secured. OF all
this / knew nothing until afterwards In
fact, it was told TO me, or rather part of IT,
by the mans wife.
"The convict's political friends secured
was done they thought it best to have his
wife present it to the governor. The wife
was quite Wiling to undertake the mission,
but had gomoney with which to pay her ex.
penses 70 Springfield and return. The po-
ltiqhl friends were not so willing TO do this
pSA of the programme, and after delivering
<fhe petition to the wife they washed their
hands of the whole business. Then came my
part. | had never heard of the man, of his
wife or the petition, but my landlady knew
a friend of the wife's who undertook to find
some one who would advance the money on
a promise of its return as soon as the hus-
band was freed from the clutches of the
law The friend spoke TO the landlady re-
garding it, and easily enlisted her sympa-
thes The friend confided to her the part
she had undertaken, and said she hardly
knew how TO fulfill her promise in getting
the money. Then my landiady took it up
and promised TO see what she could do. As
soon as | reached home she told me the dis
tressing story, and asked my financial as
sistance. / pleaded poverty, but intimated
that / might be able to advance the funds
provided / could stand her off for part
of my board until it was returned
"The ruse was successful, as / had ex-
pected it would be, and / heard nothing
more of the convict, his distressed wife or
the petition for several days. Then the wife
showed up at the office She claimed to have
been sent by the landlady, and before she
had talked five minutes / gave her the
money for her expenses to Springfield and
return. which she estimated at S2l. Her
husband was to return it as soon he was
released which she was sure would be in a
few days
when / reached home that evening /
took the landlady to task for sending the
woman to me, and again intimated that as
| had advanced the money | should have to
owe her two or three weeks board. She de-
MED having done so, called her schemer, a
heartless wretch and other choice female
appellations. She was very badly in need
of money at that time, and it would be a
great inconvenience if / did not pay as
promptly as usual. paid as usual of course,
which ought to be another story, but isn't.
1t was the landlady's doings that | was
out that $2l
when the petition was presented to the
governor he noticed the name at the top of
it, and recognizing it as the name of the en-
ployer who had been robbed, supposed, of
course, that he had relented and thought
his old employe punished enough for his
misdeeds. If the employer wanted him out
there was certainly no one else who cared
whether he stayed in or not and the pardon
was granted.
"The man was released, and Travelled back
to Chicago at my expense. BY the time he
had been out for a month began to expect
to see him come into the office almost any
day with my S2l and his thanks for its use
at so critical time But he did not come.
Month after month passed by, and still that
S2l was carried on the little vest pocketbook,
in which | recorded my small loans, as one of
my available assets. With the beginning of
a new year / purchased new book and
laid the old one away, chasing that asset as
doubtful. When the second New Year
came around threw the book in which that
particular loan was recorded away, and
tried to forget about it.
'Three years afterwards | met the man
at party. He was dressed in the best, as
was also his wife. Neither of us mentioned
the prison stripes he had once worn, or my
interest in them until he started TO GO home.
It was raining then, and he came to me for
another loan. Then he mentioned the
former one, but said it had entirely slipped
his memory. He said, also, that if would
accommodate him with couple of dollars