The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-15

| at the Q0Sh. lllun you nOllCe the num-
| bers on the cOupons?"
Mr.. Pratt hauled two strips of card
| board, on each one of which was a num-
| Der, out of his pocket He remarked that
| these were the coupons sent 10 him. but
| said he hadn't heard of any premium offer
! Thereupon the man at the desk opened a
| drawer and took out a box in which a
number of similar cards were tightly
| packed.
The company arranged its premium Of
| fer on the style of a lottery, although. Of
course, it isn't a lottery" he said. IF
you're each going 20 take a book you've
each got to draw" he continued. You
| the box.
Mr.. French said he didn't care to draw
| as he was not buying book, so Mr. Pratt
drew two cards and with a laugh tossed
mem over TO the man at the desk.
= suppose they're blanks" he said.
Blanks nothing" said that Individual
you've won $1,000 each" and he opened
another drawer in the desk and cot out
Two rolls of bills-that is they locked
axe DiilS, for they were green and Mara
was good bill on the outside of each
Mr. French didn't investigate Them hut
| 9eehned to accept the money Mr.. Pratt
qld likewise and the man at the deslr
| said: 'ieu anu
card" 'ia" hno'her
Mr. French declined to take card GO
ms companion drew two The man AZ the
desk looked at them. '"0
BANKS! he exclaimed ''you each an.
the company $1,000 1t wouldn't bannar
once IN a thousand times, but IFS the M
you win thousand and on a second trial
urdW blank, and you forfeit the tbou-
sand you won and $1,000 besides - and ne
man swept the two rolls back into the
said MIR. French "'''''
or course you don't" said Mr.. Pratt
craving him aside. You didn't fool Win
the thlng, so you don't win or lose anv-
tnlng. lose 1t all, and it's the disgrace
vi II that Is worrying me- II don't give
ms Fellow $1,000 he'lf publish me as
peat' -llls is reputable house this nub
hshlhg company, and these are not times
When man of my social position can af
lord 10 repudiate a debt of honor Heav
ems suppose he drags me into court NV
poor mother! My poor motherp'
Mr. French was touched by the predic-
ameht If his young friend, and when the
latter said that he had 5000 in a down
town bank and asked MIR. French to loan
nm 5000 more to settle the matter MIR
french consented. The man at The desl,
sand that he would wait of course until
Mr. French went to the bank, and so Mr.
Pratt and Mr.. French went out, boarded
d uiton street car and rode to the city
nall. MIR. French went to the Mechanics
Bank and Mr.. Pratt left him to 90 10 a
bank further down Montague street
MT French drew out S. 600 In cash and
later met Mr. Pratt and the two rode TO
the office of the book company. There Mr..
Pratt handed the man at the desk a fat
green roll which the latter pretended 10
count. He said it was all right Then
Mr. French stepped forward and handed
over the $1,000 he had just drawn out of
the bank This was carefully counted too
and then Mr. Pratt got a receipt for $40
600, and taking Mr.. Pratts arm led him
down into Fulton street
Il am going down town to see my law
yer about this matter now" he said. land
try and get an advance Of 5000 to settle
with you, Mr.. French. I can't tell YOU
how sorry am to have put you in such
position. Whether l get the money to-
day e. not there are heavy remlttances
due me on Jan. 5. and ] shall pay you then
with interest. Some day in the future |
shall tell my mother of the disgrace YOU
saved the family from today
Then he said goOd-by and Mr. French
saw no more of him 1t was a little before
1 o'clock when Mr.. French got home and
a few minutes after that hour he startled
his family by jumping up at the dinner
table and exclaimlng:
i've been swindled"
He told the whole story to his family AMI
Deputy Chief of Police Mclaughlin of
Brooklyn, who is an old friend Of Mr.
French. was sent for. He took Mr.. French
to Deputy Chief Mackelar. who, with
Capt Reynolds, has tried in vain 10 get
some trace of the swndlers. Mr.. French
has not been able to be Of much assistance
to the police, for he cannot recollect lust
where the room he visited was, excepting
that 1t was on the north side of Fulton
street. a few doors downtown from Cum
berland street. He has visited the neigh
borhood several times with detectives, but
has been unable to point out he place He
gave the police a fairly good description
of the young man who posed as Mr. Pratt
but was unable to tell much about the
man who sat at the desk.
Mr. French amassed a fortune as a bulls
err years ago He built the Academy of
Music the municipal building In BROOKLYN
and number of other well-known public
and private buildings of that borough
marble tablet in the corridor of the munic-
ipal building has Mr.. French's name cary
ed on it, and records the fact that the cost
Of the structure came within a few cents
of his original estimate. Mr. French was
prominent in politics at the time he was
an alderman. and because of his integrity
was dubbed Honest john French, a lite
that has stuck to him ever since. He is
prominent in the Methodist demon n ltion.
He has been Unidentified with almost every
charita BILE movement in Brooklyn in re-
cent years Mr.. French has never drunk
liquor, smoked tobacco or gambled in bis
life. and DR.. Little said last night that III
wanted ii made plain that Mr.. French took
no part I'm the lottery game of which he
became the victim but gave up his money
so readily because he believed he was
saving the son of an Old friend from dis
grace.
~
Few fates are more pitiful than that
Of the horse on the field of battle, says
the Philadelphia Press. 1t is strange that
no 'Biack Beauty" has been written about
1. W. bavo draooed this creature into