The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-15
Copyright 1901. by
 Chas. B. EtherinGton

them to another man who never lived to put them on."
 ."Mercyr' said L "why didn't he live to put them onT'
 "Ail in good time. old woman." was the impudent reply. You'll soon know a1l about it If you'll give me chance. This first customer bought this suit and paid for 1t, Then he went to the back end of tho store to put it on. I saw him shift some articles, such as knife, a bunch of keys and little change. from the pockets of the new ones, but he seemed to change his mind, for he took them out again and asked to have the nc wsuit done up, saying that he'd wear the old clothes home. But noticed that he put 8 little slip of printed paper into the watch pocket of the new pants and didn't take 1t out again when he shifted the other things. I remember thinking about it at the time and intending to call his attention to it, but another customer came in just then. and forgot ah about it. From that day up to week sr 90 ago never once thought of the matter, though I've been sorry enough for my forgetting that little slip sf paper. '"That must have been the lottery tick et!" gasped Mrs. Lawton. And VIII has been telling the gospel truth all the time we've been doubting his word, poor beyv'
 
 the lottery ticket I've been reading about in the papers-No. ss,5S7-that drew fifteen thousand dollars. I was foel not to have my mind about me and take 1t oue of the watch pocket when l got the clohtes back on the shelf again. They wouldn't have traced it to me. can tell you, and I'd have been fifteen theus- and dollars better off now."
 q wish yeu had?' said Mrs. Lawson. with a sob. "I wish to goodness you had"
 The rascal glared ana went on with his story.
 About two minutes after the man went away with the clothes there was . hue and cry in the street, and | went out to see what was up. leaving Q clerk to wait on customers. When I got outside. heard people saying that man had just been murdered at the mouth of an alley not far up the street, and I went there, curious to see who 1t was. As soon as came up to the place where the crowd was, I saw that 1t was my customer that had been murdered. He lay upon the stones of the alley, with Q knife wound in his breast and the blood all about him on the frosty ground This suit of clothes that had just sold him lay there by his side just as I had tied 1t up fer him. Then the thought came to me that might take the mans clothes and no one would lose by it, for you can't rob dead man, he having no use for clothes. So picked them up and hid them under my coat. and no one saw me, so great was the excitement got back to the store as quick as my feet could carry me and nut the clothes on the shelf again, never | once thinking of the little printed slip in the watch pocket of the pants. worse | luck!'
 The officer laughed at the shameless scoundrePs changed tone and manner, but
 I didn't feel much like laughing: l can tell you, with poor Will lying there Tn prison. his neck almost into the hang mans moose.
 "Then in half an hour or so." continued | the man, "this young fellow that's been arrested for murder came in. ana soid him the clothes. I suppose the lottery ticket was still in the wesch pocket; and he must have found 1t after he got homo and presented it for payment"
 I'm the one that found the ticket" broke in Mrs. Lawson. the tears of joy cunning down her face, "and I've always thought he lied to me about how 1t came there. I'm glad he hasn't got the sin of lying to answer for.even if we can't prove | that he didn't kill the man." | we can prove that fast enough now" said the officer. Then he turned to the
 storekeeper again. "why didn't you come forwardaand tell the truth when you
 saw the danger this innocent bey was in?'' he asked. ''But for this remarkable
 woman"-he really said remarkable" and | nodded his head at me, though think | Mrs. Lawson deserves most of the credit | for what was done on account Of her | thinking about the tags-"but for this re-
 markable woman he might have been l hanged"
 The clothing dealers eyes sparkled with
 cunning.
 | His heirs might have claimed the
 clothes" he said. "and then didn't want
 people to know what I'd done"
 "So that's why you lied to us when we
 came in here," said. And you would
 have seen that boy go to the galfOws
 rather than lose the price of those
 clothes! You ought to be tarred and
 feathered!'
 walked away without saying a word'
 and the officer and Mrs. Lawson followed.
 We went to Will the first thing and told
 him the news. My, but he was glad to
 think that he was believed at last! The trial didn't amount to much after that. | and they never found out who murdered
 that stranger or why he was murdered.
 The police saw it is one of the unsolved | murder mysteries, though they think he | was mistaken for some other man.
 CHINA's LOTTERY SCHEME.