The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-02-26
TRAPPED BY A TOOTH
a BATTLE WITH A BURGLAR WHICH
HAD AN ODD SEQUEL.

| How . Miner Saved His Valuable
Claim without Having the Courts
Pass Upon the Validity Of the Dis
puted Title Thereto.
81 had an experience in the mining
business once that was somewhat out of
the ordinary and rather interesting" said
a Seattle man who has made a good thing
out of Cape Nome. "In 1880 was do
ing fairly well in the commission BUSH
mesa in Chicago. One night my bachelor
apartments were entered by q burglar
who awakened me by his movements.
Being somewhat Of an athlete and a slug
ger, | jumped out Of bed and went at
him. We hit and clawed and clinched
in great shape, but he got loose somehow.
He left no clew to his identity except .
front tooth that l evidently knocked out
with my fist. | had heard his voice, as
he had not been at all delicate in his ref
erences to me as we strapped but beyond
those few items we had no means of
identifying him.
''Ten years later, with a pretty fair
sized wad, went to the Pacific coast to
try my hand in the mining business. One
day an cid claim showed signs, and with
in a month it was turning out the dust
| at the rate of 500 day with prospect
Of going to $1,000. Naturally / was elat-
ed, and when | had an offer Of $1,000
for the claim began to feel like nabob.
Then my trouble began, for when l at
tempted to sell fellow whom will call
Fry swooped down on me with a title
which he contended was better than mine
and at once sued me for the claim. My
lawyers told me that ! was likely to lose
| the case.
Zone day had talk of half an hour
with Fry in his Office. when he lost his
temper and swore roundly at my attor-
ney and incidentally at me. Something
In one of the oaths he used set my sus-
picions going, and l Immediately came
to a conclusion fraught with important
consequences and involving a considera-
BILE quantity of good cold nerve. told
my lawyer what my suspicious were ard
what / proposed doing and invited him
to go with me the next day to call on
Fry at his hotel, where we could see him
alone. Ny lawyer was ready enough for
anything to beat Fry. and he accepted
my invitation willingly. The next morn
ing we were at Fry's hotel and sent up
our cards. Word came back presently
vator. When we knocked at the door,
we were told to come in. and there we
found Fry lying in bed reading the morn
ing paper. He was very much surprised
at our appearance, and not until we ex-
planned that we had sent up our cards
did 1t occur to anybody that the boy had
evidently taken the cards to some other
room. Luck was on my side that II
should have so happened. for Fry was
not attired for the day. and in glass of
water on his dressing case | noticed
tooth, and in his mouth was vacancy
which it occupied during business hours.
He wanted to know what had brought
Us around so early in the morning.
eel hope, he said to my lawyer, with
sneering smile, that you have conclud-
ed to accept the offer I made you and
give up the property
"'My client has the case, Mr.. Fry
responded my lawyer politely.
Eyes | said. q little nervously and
sticking my finger into my pocket for
something | had there, I have charge of
the case now, Mr. Fry. and before &C
cepting your offer ! desire to make few
remarks. Skipping the legal aspects Of
the case, shall come at once to the per
sonal matters involved. You will mar
don me, | hope. for abiding to your
toilet, seeing that we unintentionally sur
prised you before you had prepared your
self for our reception. but may I refer
10 that tooth in the tumbler on your
dressing case, Mr.. Fry? I must COM
pliment your dentist on the skill be has
displayed in supplying the loss OF your
natural tooth, but think he would have
improved the job II he had called on me
before undertaking the entire work him
self. Here taking from my pocket the
burglars tooth. is q tooth think wOcld
have beer even better ct than be made
for you. got 1t one night in Chicago
about q dozen years ago. snd r mis-
take not you might he able to recall POma
Of the incidents of the occasion
"By the time had got that far in my
speech was so badly ratified that could
not stand still on my feet. but Fry vas a
good deal worse, and don't think he no.
ticed what condition | was in. although
he stared at me as If he were looking
into the face OF a ghost and were slowly
turning into stone. He had not apparent
~ had the faintest suspicion of what l
was coming at, and not until took the
tooth from my pocket did he fully real
lie what ! was springing on him. Then,
instead OF putting bold face on the mat
ter and beating down my bluff. he col
lapsed utterly and got as white as q
sheet whittier than the hotel sheet under
which be was lying He tried to speak. |
but could only gasp out a few inarticu-
late sounds. and we had to give him q
drink of liquor out OF bottle on his ta'
BILE before be could recover sufficiently |
to say anything Then he threw himself
on my mercy and begged me for Gods
sake not to expose him. because he had
been living fairly honest life for stx
years and had wife and two children
who knew nothing Of ais past and loved |
him The result after that was plain |
enough or course. ! agreed to keep still
II he would throw up bis case against me. |
for had no wish to ruin him utterly II |
be kept his hands of what was mine. |
but | warned him thai II | heard of his |
getting mixed up In. any more dirty work |
would tell my story He promised me |
that be would not Whether be ever did |
or not ! cnnnot cay. but know that be
died years ago leaving $l5UOOO to his |
wife and two daughters. and the newspa |
pers IN the Gown where be had been liO-
ing devoted several columns to him az |
token of their esteem for a distinguished |