The Jennings daily record., 1902-04-15

i had met the man IN tneaCcISs Iob-
taurants and Broadway cafes for the
last ten years. Never mind his name
He was always well dressed, always
had plenty of money and never seemed
to be busy or worried about anything.
From the men I saw him with I be-
lieved he was engaged in no legitimate
business. and I placed him in that In
.determinate class which many years
ago we called Broadway statues" and
nowadays most Of us dismiss from
our minds with the thought, ''Oh, we'll,
he's a gambler or something of that
sort" There are hundreds Of this kind
of mer to be seen along the line be-
tween Twenty-third street and Forty
second on Broadway any pleasant az
ternoon and every night They tol1
not, neither do they spin, but their
tailors are artists
He shambled into the big, red-car-
peted. cafe of the Rossmore the other
night looking twenty years older and
seventy-1ve per cent to the bad. his
clothes were evidently ready-made and
unmistakably he was not the original
purchaser. His head dfooped a little
and his eye met mine and then sought
the floor. 1t only needed a glance to
NN~~-
class. We sat down at table, as we
had done before occasionally, and I
suggested that he wasn't looking in
form. He sighed and said he was
down and out
"Not for good" I said encouraging
".
Eyes. for good" he returned. I've
lost my nerve and that was all had.
It, NJ q NJ
the Has Been was grateful, and he
told me his story. a common enough
one I fancy. only it is of the sort that
the general public seldom hears.
"You never knew what my line was,
| I suppose, did you?" he began. Lots
of men have rubbered and tried to find
out since I've been flying high around
| this town. 1t was an easy line and
| it paid me well. Until 1 went sick and
| had to go to the hospital for four
months never knew what it was to
have to look for a couple OF hundred
in my clothes without finding it. I've
had fifty thousand at one time and
spent it royalty too but never expect
to see hundred dollar bill again be-
fore I croak. They've got me skinned
to death at last.
"For years / was the layer down
for a mob of the greatest outfit OF
forgers that ever worked the country
Most of them are working yet but
I'm out OF it. My whole stock in trade
was my nerve.
"I used to present the goods at the
bank counters or in the brokers' Of
fee You know yourself that looked
prosperous. None OF the men in the
front Office had any line on me. No
body ever saw me in the company OF
the sort of crooks that get their pic
lures in the Rogues' Gallery. You've
met me yourself along the line fol-
the last ten years and I always trav-
eled with pretty good people, didn't 1!
High class sports they all were. and
was supposed to be one OF them
They never asked me what my line
was any more than you did. Well
my line was to present forged paper
get the cash, turn it over, and get ou
of town for a few weeks. I've worked
in every big city in the country.
when 1 got aout OF the hospital
discovered that I'd lost my nerve.
don't know how or why, but it wa.
gone. 1 felt that if I walked into ;
bank to turn a trick they'd spot M
for a suspicious character right away
I went to the head of my push ant
told him. I said | knew I'd run lik
a pickpocket if an ordinary banl
watchman batted an eye at me; tina
my nerve was all gone. He knew
what 1 meant. 1t comes to the bes
of US sooner or later. We said good
bye and I've been a dead one eve
since. What am l doing? I'm work
ing in a poolroom taking two-dolla
bets, and if Jerome or any of thos
people ever make a raid III probaol.
faint away. And yet I've taken $500,
600 in certified checks out of BAN
not a mile from here without turning
hair and on paper that wasn't wortl
as much as a Chinese laundry ticket.
New York Press.