Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-01-14

ry.'
"'You don't believe that he is dead?'
said 1.
never have he replied. I can't.
Nothing more was said upon the
subject just then, and it was not men.
toned while we were eating luncheon.
This was by agreement. Donald was
very silent during the meal He ate
scarcely anything, He was pale and in
peculiar state Of nervous tension.
observed him with considerable anxi-
ETY., for he looked like a man who is
going to break down.
Eve had reached the cigars, and the
waiter was well out of the way. One
of the fellows made sign to me to
open the subject that was ON our
minds. turned toward Donald. He
started as if from dream and said in
hurried, strange voice:
Harry is all right
"Then the color rushed into his face,
which had been very pale. He reeled
in his chair, and put up my hand to
catch him.
What do you mean?' l asked.
saw him. he said, 4 saw him.
He's all right. He's coming home
"That was all that we could get out
of him at first, and we did not know
what to make of it. Finally told him
frankly just why we We're there and
what we had learned
No. he said; its all mistake. He's
not in any lumber camp don't know
where he is. never saw any such
place before. think it's in China from
the look of it,
'Of course we tormented him with
questions, and Mt last we got an &C.
curate description of what he had seen.
Why, he even described the furniture
in the room and the view from the
window.
There was man sitting at table
whom l think l should have known If
he hadn't been back to me- said he. My
brother was sitting opposite, and there
was, some sort of document on the table
between them. My brother has grown
a beard. By heavens" he cried sud
denly. The other man was Joe Vinalv
"Vinal was receiving teller of the
Dey Street bank. He had been slight
ly implicated in the robbery and had
lost his place in the bank on account
Of it, but had not been arrested. That
he should have joined Henry Donald
son in far corner of the world was
not altogether favorable circum-
stance, and asked Donald why he had
said so confidently that his brother was
all right.
81 know by the look of him. he re-
piled, and l heard him say that he was
coming home
Donald pledged us all to secrecy in
this matter, and l think the promise
has been fairly well kept. That after
noon Donald and made an investiga-
ton into the case of Vinal and learned
that he had left New York and that
his whereabouts were unknown. His
wife, who was a beautiful woman of
tine descent, was living in this city, but
she had had no word of her husband
in six weeks. She told me that he had
left the city suddenly upon some mat
ter of business which she did not un.
derstand. He had been in very bad
health, and she was extremely anxious
ibOut him.
"That was all the information that
we could get About week later
Donald got Il cable message from his
brother. 1t came from Hongkong and
was addressed to my apartments. 1t
said: Am coming home; westward.
Everything all right
by subsequent messages we traced
him to the Mediterranean and Gibral-
tar and learned what steamer was
bringing him to this country. He was
i'll Of acute gastritis when he arrived,
and l thought that we should hardly
get him off the steamer alive. But he
rallied and seemed on the road to
mend.
ut appeared that he had gone from
this country to Japan and had lived in
one of the smaller cities. He brought
photographs of his abode there and of
view from certain window. have
nevesshaen able to be skeptic upon
thing cult since seeing that photo
graph. He told us that he had lived
almost in secret; that he had never
dared communicate with Donald for
fear that the message would fall into
wrong hands and reveal his hiding
place.
Zone day he was amazed to see Joe
Vinal at his door. How this man
traced him he never learned vinal
vas dying. Only his purpose had sup
ported him through the latter part of
the journey. He made a complete rev.
elation of the inner facts of the bank
robbery, in which he himself was the
principal criminal This statement was
sworn to before the American consul,
and few days later Vinal died. Hen
ry Donaldson went to Hongkong and
thence home, bringing the statement
which was put into the hands of the
banks officials, who used it to extort
Gs complete restitution as possible from
Vinals accomplices, and the matter
was kept quiet through the usual In
fluences, except that card was pub
lished generating Donald's brother.
He seemed to be perfectly satisfied
with this, though it was not very def
mite. Really the poor fellow was done
with earth. He died as many men and
women die who might live, but have
not the will
"In conclusion / have only this to
say: So far as we can learn Donald's
vision was perfectly accurate. 1t show
ed Vinal laying his written confession
before Henry Donaldson. But the vi.
sion occurred about eight hours before
the event. l leave the explanation Of
this phenomenon to any one who
thinks himself competent. am not.
"You may be disposed to suggest
that Henry Donaldson had communi-
Gated with his brother unknown to
me. In regard to this have not only
Donald's word, but Henry's and you
will bear in mind that attended Hen
ry in his last illness, so that, aside
from the lack of motive for his telling
me falsehood, we must consider also
the respect that is usually accorded to
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