The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1902-05-10
HAD LOST HIS NERVE
PATHETIC STORY OF A "HAS BEEN
WHO WAS PLAYED OUT.
Once Layer Down" for an Outfit of
Forgers, He Had Reached the End Of
His Rope-His Nerve His Only Real
Asset in Life.

| taurants and Broadway cafes for the
last ten years. Never mind his name.
He was always we'll 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-
lleVed he was engaged in no legitimate
business, and 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 men to be seen along the line be-
| tween TWenty-third street and Forty
second on Broadway any pleasant af-
ternoon and every night. They toll
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-ive per cent to the bad. His
! clothes were evidently ready-made and
Enthusiastically he was not the original
purchaser. His head dropped a little
| and his eye met mine and then sought
! the floor. 1t only needed a glance to
see that he had gone to the las BEN
| class We sat down at table, as we
had done before occasionally, and |
suggested that he wasn't looking in
form. He sighed and said he was
! down and OUT
mot for good,'' said encouraging-
| ly.
Eyes, for good" he returned. 1--WE
lost my nerve and that was all I had"
I ordered cigars with the drink and
the Has Been was grateful, and he
told me his story, common enough
| one fancy, only it is of the sort that
the general public seldom hears.
you never knew what my line was,
I suppose, did your" 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 we'll. Until went sick and
had to go to the hospital for four
| months I 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 I never expect
to see hundred dollar bill again be-
to death at last.
''For years l was the layer down
| Tor 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.
Il used to present the goods at the
| bank counters or in the brokers' Of
! flee. You know yourself that I 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 for
the last ten years and I always trav-
eled with pretty good people, didn't I?
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 out
of town for a few weeks I've worked
in every big city in the country.
| when l got out of the hospital I
| discovered that I'd lost my nerve.
don't know how or why, but it was
gone. ! felt that if I walked into a
bank to turn trick they'd spot me
for suspicious character right away.
l went to the head of my push and
told him. I said knew I'd run like
a pickpocket if an ordinary bank
| Waterman batted an eye at me; that
my nerve was all gone. He knew
| what I meant 1t comes to the best
of us sooner Or later We said good
bye and I've been dead one ever
since What am doing? I'm work.
ing in poolroom taking two-dollar
bets, and if Jerome or any of those
people ever make raid I'll probably
faint away. And yet I've taken $780,
600 in certified checks out of a bank
not mile from here without turning
hair and on paper that wasn't worth
as much as Chinese laundry ticket"