Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1900-11-06

vas to administer an anosthetic, ana
1t was success. He pitched forward
into the room with long drawn sigh,
and lighted the lamp and took from
his wrist the billy which ne had
bought in town with my money to use
as cracker in case his sleeping
victim woke up before being plunder-
ed. Then forced brandy between his
teeth, bathed his face with water, and
in the course of quarter of an hour
my midnight visitor had SO far recov-
cred his senses that venturcd to re-
mark:
We'll, Jones7Jones, why didn't you
tell me that you were coming. that
might be on the lookout for you?'
Jones-Jones sat up. He didn't recog-
nize me. He himself had a different
look on his face. That dissipated but
yet crafty look had disappeared. and In
its place was wonderment II not hon
esty. 1t was my wicked man in the
flesh, but not in the spirit. lie got of
the floor and felt of the bump on his
head and sat down on n chair, and 1t
was long five minutes before he said:
Sir, my name is Brown,Brown, and
don't exactly understand the situn-
ton. Am l in your room. or are you
in mine?''
Il believe it's my ROOM" I replied.
but being as you arrived late and the
landlord is asleep you can stop until
morning"
Very kind of you, sir-extremely
kind. As to this bump on my head
is it bump or not? If it's bump
how did 1 receive it?'
You hit your head on the door in
the darkness, 1 believe"
"Ah. Just so. Very stupid of me.
but It's only trifie. Now, then. Mr..
Ashmere, as to the business in hand.
If you think you can advance me $500,
am sure can make u 60 Of it,"
1t took me little while to catch on,
but by and by discovered that Jones'
Jones had been Knocked out and
Brown Brown had taken his place.
Jones-Jones was a crook who wanted
to reform; Brown-Brown was n poor
but honest man who wanted to go into
the making of shirts. He knew moth
ing whatever of Jones-Jones. He pick
ed up the conversation as If he had
been talking about the business when
the accident happened. lie called me
by another name than my own, and
it was plain to me that he was also
another man. L sounded him about
crime and state prison, but he solemnly
assured me that he had never been ar
rested. He was Brown Brown as far
as his name went, but as for his past
history he was rather hazy ON the sub
ject
had turned Jones-Jones, the crook,
back into Brown-Brown, the honest
man, by a knock on the head. 1t was
rapid transit reformation. and looked
upon the problem as solved. Having
been willing to assist a crook, could
not refuse an honest man. When my
week was up, we went back to town
together. and gave Brown Brown
| money enough to set up in shirtmalI-
ing. He had ON the clothes 1 had
bought .Iones-Jones He had the hair,
the eyes, the mouth and the build of
the crook, but there had been a change
of souls. AS far as the present went
he was bright and talkatlve, but when
asked of the past he looked puzzled
and could not figure 1t out. The doc
tors agreed with me that it was the
whack ON the head that had made
| ASAO " -A1lONAA VI JOlAGS-JOA4cS uhN tLtLl
the police ought to be given full power
to go around breaking water pitchers
over crooks craniums; but, alas, that
was twist of the business we hadn't
the foresight to discover and prepare
for.
My man prospered wonderfully well
People said he was a little eccentric,
but he WAS honest aud hard worker.
In one year he had paid me back half
my money and built up n good busl-
ness. One day detective entered the
store to make n purchase. He had
known Jones-Jones as crook He
knew that Jones-Jones had crooked
finger on his right hand and mole
on his left cheek. When he discovered
that Brown-Brown had these same
identification marks. he began to look
at him more closely, and by and by
he made up his mind that the old
crook stood before him. He was so
sure of it that he set out to make an
arrest. Brown-Brown was an honest
man. but in his surprise he started to
make n bolt of it. AS he ran out of his
shop and down the street, pursued by
the detective. lie encountered n police
man who tapped him on the head with
his club. Brown-Brown went down
like log snd was carted of to the
station. l was present when his senses