Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-31
DAILY SnoKI slOKs
A Case of lde.tity.
[Original.I


there was ring at the door bell, and
the maid handed me note:
Dear Charlie-Come round to the -
police court and bail me out I'm in trou-
BILE. Nothing serious. but don I want to
stay here any longer than necessary.
Yours. HENRY FARNHAM.
swallowed cup of coffee and hur-
ried Off to the police court. What in
the world could the steady. matter of
| fact Henry Farnham have been doing
TO get himself jagged? When | arrived
l learned at the desk that Henry Farm
ham, notorious swindler had been ar
rested late the night before at a hotel.
He was marched out for my inspection.
Il know nothing about the man." !
said and turned on my heel.
Charlie. for heavens sake don't de-
sert me"' cried the prisoner.
The voice was surely my friend Hen
ry Farnhams. l turned for another
look. a CLEAN of recognition struggled
through my brain. Was he or was he
not my Farnham? 1t is astonishing
what Il difference clothes will make in
man. X was the same face l had
been used to. but that suit of dingy
checkerboard, that flaming red neck
tie. Surely something must be the mat
ter with my eyes.
Hes trying to fool you" said the in
spector WHO stood looking Oh. We've
requisition for him from St Paul
The reports from there are that he is
capable of fOoling BeelZebub himself.
He's probably found that he has some
ri, in, fri Of
and he's trying it on"
He certainly looks like my friend"
said. DO you mind permitting me TO
talk with him alone?''
''NOne at all"
During this colloquy the prisoners
face was gradually being overcome by
a terrific dread. He looked like a man
who had been caught in trap and was
just beginning to realize that he might
never get out of il. We were shown
into Il private room, where by a knOwl-
edge of my affairs he soon convinced
me that he was what he pretended to
be. Then he went on to tell me that
he had been on trip and had returned
at midnight. He lived in Il suit of
rooms in Il private house Il long dis
lance from the depot and was sure he
would find the door of his lodging
house locked, so he went to the -
hotel. IL rather inferior house. but the
best near the depot. About . o'clock
in the morning he was awakened by
the police and told to put on his clothes
His own clothes had disappeared, and
the clothes he now had on were in
their place. Despite his protests he
was obliged TO put them on and go
with his captOrs. He had been locked
in cell, but as soon as it was morn
ing the note had received had been
sent at his request.
l was puzzled to know how to con-
vince those who had arrested him of
his identity. As soon as his bail was
fixed l became his bondsman and took
him home with me for consultation.
Thus far there was no publicity. True.
a newspaper report of the capture of
Henry Farnham at the - hotel was
published, but none of his friends would
suspect that he was the man arrested
1t was advisable. if possible, to avoid
having the matter come out. i the
angel Gabriel were to come down from
heaven and get into trouble, there
would be some who would say, where
there's so much smoke there must be
some fire" Besides, was Farnham
sure that he could establish his iden-
tity? In the famous Tichborne case
it was never proved conclusively wheth-
er the claimant was Roger Tichborne
or not; at least opinion was divided at
the end of the trial, My own belief is
that when Il case is ready for trial in
Ct Iho FOL licl
the truth concerning it is gone.
Farnham and l talked the matter
over, and l thought it over. consult
ed a lawyer about it. The result was
that both the lawyer and advised the
suspected man to go TO Europe, forfeit
ing his bail This he could do, as he
was possessed of some means. Hav-
ing given me a check for the amount
of the bond, he got aboard a steamer
and sailed for Havre.
/ received letters from him from
time to time asking whether it would
be safe for him to return, but 1 inva-
riably replied that it would be risky
Finally l took up n paper one morning
and read of the arrest of Henry Farm
ham. | greatly feared that my friend
had returned in spite of my advice
and l lost no time in going to the po-
lice station to find out. The Henry
Farnham | found there was a fiashy
looking man wearing clothes as shabby
as those left for my friend at the -
hotel He gave me an explanation of
the puZZling affair in which my friend
had been involved. He 0he real cul-
priU had come into town expecting to
10, a.
ton for him had been made and that
the police We're watching for him. He
had Strolled into the --- hotel and no.
ticed his name on the register The
clerk was in bed and the office in
charge of a negro porter. Farnham
yawned and remarked that lie would
go to bed. The porter, thinking him
guest, permitted him to 90 upstairs.
Being expert at picking locks, he had
no difficulty in inserting tweeZers into
IL 4 IL