The true northerner., 1899-05-17
A VICTIM OF FATE.
Written for This Paper.


! the farm TO seek fortunes favor In large
city; many ways IN which success may be
turned into the bitterest kind of defeat
| The following is a true account OF young
man who came TO the city upon the advice
| of influential friends, who offered him ex-
ceptional opportunities for advancement,
/ and whose prospects were OF the brightest.
As he has outived the unhappy crcum-
stances of his younger days and is to-day one
OF the prosperous business men of Chicago
it would be an injustice TO him to use his
name, because the story, even though he did
nothing wrong, might injure his business
standing. Any name will answer and we will
call him John Smith.
Seventeen years ago John Smith was liv-
ing on his fathers farm in the central part
of Illinois. His life on the farm was much
like that of every other farm boy, and he
had wished, as almost every farm boy does,
to tempt fortune in large city. The sum
mer that he was 20 years of age friends of
his father from the city visited them, and
before they returned home had become in
terested in John. They had heard from him
his desire to leave the farm and go to the
city. They promised him that they would
do what they could to see his wish gratified,
and a month later wrote to him that they
had found a position for him which offered
little at first but rapid promotion If he
showed himself capable. In addition they
offered him home so long as he should de-
sire it, and until such time as he should re-
ceive sufficient increase In wages to war
rant heavier expenditures his home and
board would cost him nothing.
He rightfully considered that such OPP
portunities were exceptional and eagerly ac-
cepted them. In week he was in Chicago
and his friends wishing to give him an OPP
portunty to see the sights of the city before
entering upon the duties of his position ad-
vsed him to spend few days in wandering
about This he was glad to do as everything
was new and strange to him, and he could
find much of interest.
While passing through one of the rougher
sections of the city one day his attention
was attracted by a commotion in saloon
followed quickly by pistol shot. His curl
osity was aroused instantly and he rushed
into the place to find the cause of the
trouble. When he entered there were but
two men in the place and one of those was
living upon the floor in front of the bar with
a bullet through his body. The other was
the proprietor, who was just passing around
the end of the long bar to where the mur-
dered man lay On the bar was revolver
still smoking from the shot just fired. Be
fore Smith had crossed the room to where
the man lay woman, who afterward proved
to be the proprietor's daughter entered by
a back door a minute later two police Off
GERS entered and demanded an explanation
of the trouble, which was given by the pro-
prietor of the place.
This young fellow came in a little while
ago with another man and ordered drink
for two,' said the proprietor, "and while
they were drinking they began quarreling
about something which | did not understand,
as | had not been listening to their previous
conversation. One word brought on another
until the scrap became too warm to suit me
and l ordered them to leave. Instead of
doing this the man there" pointing to the
one on the floor, began calling this young
fellow names, and he pulls a gun and shoots
him. That's all there is to it so far as /
know, and / can prove that by my daughter
here, who saw the whole thing, and think
you will find the gun in the young fellows
coat pocket"
For minute Smith was too much fright
ened to speak, and when he found his voice
at the policemen's bidding he denounced the
whole story as fabrication.
81 came in here after the shot was fired
to see what the trouble was" he said, "and
there were only these two men in the place,
the girl came in afterwards, and the revolver
is there on the bar" and he turned to point
to it, but it was gone. 'Well, it was there a
minute ago., he added.
The proprietor demanded that Smith be
searched, and the officers did so. The re-
volver was found in his coat pocket. The
patrol was called and the luckless young
man was taken to the police station. Bail
was refused him, and three months later
he found himself an inmate of a cell at the
Joliet prison despite the efforts of his friends
who never ceased to believe in his inno-
cence.
At the trial the saloon keeper repeated his
former story, which his daughter also swore
to. The officers told what little they knew
of the case, and if their evidence was col
ored at all it was in favor of the saloon man.
There was nothing in Smiths favor but his
previous reputation, and the fact that he
had never been known to drink. The mur
dered man had never recovered conscious
ness, and so had added nothing to the evil
dence on either side 1t took the jury but
ten minutes to find Smith guilty of murder
and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
For three years he wore the convicts
stripes at Joliet. During every day of that
time his friends worked for his release.
They tried to get a new trial without sue
cess, and then they tried for pardon, but
again their efforts were unsuccessful, and
it looked as though the young man would
pass his life behind prison bars.
And then the unexpected happened. The
saloon keeper died and on his deathbed he
told the story of the murder.
The murdered man was unknown to him.
He had come into the place and asked for
a drink which had been given him. Four
times he had asked for whisky before any
thing was said about pay. When he had
secured all he wanted and turned to leave
the proprietor asked for his money, and
was answered with a curse and a bad name |
One word led to another until the saloon
man became angered and taking revolver
from beneath the bar he shot the stranger. |
Instantly he realized the position in which |
he had placed himself and when Smith en-
tered he determined to fasten the crime |
upon him. just as the officers entered the |
room he succeeded in getting near enough |
to Smith to slip the revolver into his coat
pocket without his knowing it. The fact