Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-03-26
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A Tale of -
New Netherlands

Dutch governors of New York that a
Yankee-the Dutch always hated and
distrusted the Yankees-onc evening di-
rected his attention to silver crescent
In the sky. remarkinG that it indicated
bad weather. The governor looked up
at the heavens, then eyed the Yankee
suspiciouSly and said knowingly:
''That iss ferry goot representation
of the moon"
In the town OF Albany, about the
middle of the seventeenth century,
Dietrich Ten Eycke had dispute with
one Killien van GiesGeck, after which
Van Giesbeck disappeared. Ten Eycke
was arrested for murder. and, not over
confident in the legal attachments or
his Dutch brethren, he engaged for
counsel n Yankee lawyer who had re-
Gently come 10 town.
'I'll take Your case" said the Yankee,
provided you consent beforehand to
everything 1 may do"
The Dutchman agreed, and the case
came to trial. The Yankee. well ac-
quainted with the obstinacy of the
Dutch jurymen. instead of trying to
prove his clients innocence made as
bad a defense as possible, at last break
ing down and begging the court to be
mer. iful. His client was convicted and
sentenced to be hanged on Friday, Nov.
IS. which would come round in about
month. The case being settled, the
prisoner was taken back to Jail to
await the end.
The next morning the town clock
nstonished the good burgherS by strik-
ing the hour of noon an hour later than
the day before. Those of the Dutch
men who had timcpieces of their own,
thinking that they were in error. set
the hands back an hour. On the sec
ond day the clock was forty minutes
slow, and the timepieees were moved
back by the same amount. This went
on for several days. when the matter
began to attract attention. The burt IL
ers stood around the clock, wondering
at the strange action of their time
pieces. when the Yankee lawyer came
by and averred that the clock had gone
wrong. This settled the matter. and
the timepieces We're all set back as
usual
The day before the time set for the
execution the Yankee applied to the
Judge for n stay" on the ground that
tine legal day for the hanging had pass
ed. He produced an affidavit of Frau
Ten Eycke that she had set back the
hands OF the town clock tweDty-four
hours. thus losing. he claimed. one day.
The judge sat up all night deliberat-
ing whether or no a day had been thus
lost At midnight, not having reached
-. Ill Il .
twelve jurymen who had convicted
Ten Eycke and propOunded the prob
lem. Some argued that the sun had
risen and set as usual notwithstand
ing the loss of the clock. and there had
been no loss; others declared that the
clock was their only calendar. and, the
hands having been turned back TWEEN
ty-four hours. one day had slipped by
without their knowing il. At daylight
vote was taken which resulted in
tie. The Judge. being much perpleXed
what to do. granted stay for forty
eight hours.
The next day the jurymen got to-
gether in the wineshop of the town.
lighted their clay pipes and consulted
what to do about the matter of Die
trich Ten Eycke. After smoking sew
en- hours and consuming as many kegs
OF beer. during which they vainly en-
deavored to solve the knotty problem
whether the loss of an hour day for
twenty-four days would cause the loss
OF day, they were still unable to reach
conclusion. They would probably
have discussed the matter without
coming to decision as long as they
4 81
presence of these doughty citizens with
the person Of the murdered man him
self. There stood Killien van Gies-
beck. and there beside him stood the
Yankee. The burghers looked from
one to the other. first in stupefaction.
then with an intelligence superior to
any Yankee or any Yankee trick.
Tell 'em where you have been" said
the lawyer.
after pelts."
Then arose the PATRON in his dig
nifty and, eying the Yankee severely.
said:
This man is not Killien van Gies-
beck. He may be his brother, but he is
not Killien. Killien is dead. and Die
trich killed him. A great thought has
come to me. What say you. neighOors-
shall we not try the case over, convict
the prisoner again and
Hang him for killing a man who
went for pelts and is now here?" the
Yankee put in.
As much as they detested the, Yankee,
there was no answering the Argument
But every Dutchman sat scowling and
hercely smoking till so dense was the
cloud that neither the Yankee nor
killien could he distinguished. The
Yankee, feeling that he had gone too
far for his own safety. was about to
withdraw under cover of the tobacco
smoke when the PATRON stepped to the
door behind him, locked it and put the
key in his breeches pocket.
''Neighbors," he said, this Yankee
has insulted us by producing this man
as Killien van Giesbeck. who has been
murdered. By such nefarfous course