Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-09-14
ahstnaln. and Of course. as usual. hi. re-

VI
therefore. as though discovery could be
postponed a little longer; when suddenly,
this morning we We're Informed that a
change in the system of bookkeeping would
be adopted after the LIST of January. saw at
once that all was over. The discovery of
my crime is now a matter Of hours. must
be out of the way before the crash comes
or L am doomed. can already see the
felon's stripes upon my back; the clang OF
the prison gates ring in my ears.
II am too dazed to think: but feel that
my only escape Is In death. And yet cling
TO life. know that the happy days OF the
past are gone forever: and yet feel sort
OF numb relief at the thought that the
worst Is now certain to come. and to come
at once.
y have carefully prepared my fight, 80
that shall have plenty OF time to reach
place OF safety. Once there, I shall be
free from pursuit; but / shall be an exile,
and ! shall carry with me to the grave the
burden of my sin.
1.-THE most bitter pang In my remorse is
caused by the thought Of the great wrong
! have done you. dear wife. You will now
be forced to face the world not only un-
protected by the one whose duty and whose
desire 1t was to smooth the way for you;
but, what Is worse. oppressed by the bur-
den Of his sin.
What little money have left in the saw
ings bank have transferred to your name
You may use 1t all with a clear conscience;
for every dollar of 1t was honestly mine.
swear have never had a single cent of the
money have stolen. 1t has all been drawn
by Henry Seymour, and used know not
how.
"As soon as l am settled in the place to
which am going shall try, as far as lies
in my power, to redeem my past by a life of
honest labor; and hope to be able to con-
To
"Oh! my wife, my darling wife! Would
that the past could be blotted out. and that
could once more place my hand In yours,
an honest man. Though you may find 1t
hard to forgive me now, perhaps in time
YOU may be able to think gently of him who
through all his crime and degradation has
remained
Your devoted husband,
JOHN w. ARBOGAST.
my safety depends upon your keeping
the contents OF this letter secret for at
least three days. After that time. please
send to Mr.. Dunlap. president Of the Knick-
erbocker bank. the inclosed papers. which
will reveal to him the full extent of my de-
falcations
II do not hesitate to betray Chatham and
Seymour: they did not scruple to ruin me,
! have sent for Chatham. and I shall give
him warning OF my intended flight If he
sees fit, he can take such steps as he may
choose to escape his own richly deserved
punishment"
While Sturgis was reading Arbogast's
letter, Dunlap, restlessly pacing the
room, had observed him furtively.
"Well?" he now inquired, stopping
before the reporter, what do you thinl;
of that?"
poor woman!" exclaimed Sturgis,
feelingly; lit Is terrible to think of
the suffering brought upon her by her
husbands guilt. l ought to be hard
ened to situation like this; for it
is the inevitable sequel OF almost every
crime that is ever committed. But |
am moved every time by the pathetic
sexpiation Of the innocent for the
guilty"
"Yes, yes; l know" said Dunlap, in
differently; that 1t not what meant.
Did you note the amount which this
scoundrel confesses he and his accom-
plices have stolen from the bank?"
Eyes; 1t is large sum-"
1.-TWO hundred and fifty thousand
dollars! Why, man, if that is true, it
is enough to cripple the bank-No, no;
don't mean that, of course; the bank
is rich and could stand the loss of
four times that amount. But quar-
ter of million is round sum, for all
of that. 1t does not seem possible that,
in spite of all our care, they can have
succeeded in making away with so
much money. But they did. There can
be no doubt about that; for in the pa
pers which Arbogast Enclosed for me in
his letter to his wife he explains just
how the thing was done. 1t is simple
enough when you know the trick; but
1t took fendish cunning to devise it.
never would have thought that ras-
cally bookkeeper intelligent enough TO
concoct such scheme
IF the scheme is work of genius"
said Sturgis, you may rest assured
that 'X'-who may very well be Henry
Seymour-was the author of It,"
well, at any rate" observed Dunlap,
there is one thing that must be done
at once; and that is to find both Chat
ham and Seymour. 1t is not possible
that in two years these men have spent
quarter OF d nllllOn QOllafS between
them"
at is at all events possible that they
mayn not have done So" replied sturgis.
"for my Investigations show that both
Arbogast and Chatham have been men
Of regular and exemplary habits in
their private lives. They do not APP
pear to have been living much, if at
all, beyond their means. There does
not seem to have been, in the case of
either man, any room for double ex-
istence, which might otherwise have
explained the situation. Neither was
spendthrift or gambler, and neith-
er was dissipated."
"Tben you have not the faintest idea
of the present whereabouts OF. Chatham
or of his mysterious accomplice?"
! LET me tell you exactly what have
done up to the present time; and then
you will be able to judge for yourself.
And I, too, shall see more clearly where
we stand: for the necessity of putting
ones thoughts into words is an aid to
clear thinking"
ITO be. continued
Orientals as Soldiers.