The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-01-15
SALTWATER MINNESOTA THURSDAY JANUARY 15 1908

silence he left and boarded train for
Texas, hoping to go somewhere and
start life anew. On the train he spoke
to a passenger, who, after looking him
over, reached into his pocket and
brought forth a newspaper clipping
containing the picture of Brand Waeck-
er and the charge of the judge. He
didn't speak to him. The other pas
sengers soon heard of his presence, and
they deserted the car in which he sat.
Then he penetrated the fastness of the
forest and attempted to make his home
with the Indians, altho they didn't un-
derstand his language. The chief of
the tribe examined him, then went into
his. tepee and brought forth a soiled
piece of paper, and pointed his finger
down the trail, inttmat;ng that he
should go. Wherever he went it was
the same. After some years he wan
dered back to the town in which the
fatal curse was pronounced upon him.
Here he took sick and died; no one
spoke word of encouragement or ad-
dressed him in any form, even the
doctor who attended him in his last
moments.
What charming storyl Notice
how nicely he has his facts marshaled,
and how harmoniously they chime
when they touch each others shoulder!
If he was found innocent by jury of
his peers drawn from this law abiding
and peaceable community the evidence
must have justified the verdict, as
Waecker was too poor to even bribe a
bedbug. The writer says Waecker's
picture and the unusual charge of the
court was published again and again
in all sections of the country. What
an unsophisticated cub this gentleman
must be to imagine that the readers Of
Leslie's magazine would swallow that
huge joke without batting an eye
The story about the saloonkeeper
showing good coin on the floor is rich.
1t is very evident that he is not talking
about the saloonkeepers on this planet
of ours. Again he tells us about the
passenger on the train pulling out of
his pocket the newspaper clipping.
The inference is that everyone carried
such paper. What nonsense! Who
was Brand Waecker that anyone but
an idiot would want to remember, to
say nothing about carrying:.around an
old greasy clipping? Outside of the
small community in which the alleged
crime was committed no one cared a
rap about the crime or whether such
person really existed. If he had the
money he could have paid his way, and
/ would like to make the acquaintance
of the saloonkeeper whol would have
refused to take it.
In the Indian episode this pseudo
writer far surpasses his former stunts
with the pen. He takes his villain into
the wilds of the forest for the sole
purpose of completely losing his
identity, and suavely hints that he is
unacquainted with the Indian tongue.
The intelligent reader would naturally
arrive at the conclusion that the
Indian knew not word of the English
language. But the writer appears to
be very nimble in springing wonderful
surprises on his readers. Even if the
Indian could read, it sounds rather
fishy to suppose that he would have
preserved this newspaper, containing
the picture of Brand Waecker, all
these in months his humble tepee where
chests and lockers are unknown.
Of course the writer was evidently
unacquainted with the Indian chiefs
versatility, or else he wouldn't have
taken him on this bootless errand.
When the author penned this in
congruous article he must have had
some motive in view. 1t is not char
acter sketch, for it is the very antithesis
of realism. The harsh treatment which
Brand Waecker received after being
acquitted by jury drawn from law
abiding community, does not speak
very highly of their Christian virtues.
He certainly does not wish to advocate
such method of punishment for those
whom jury may acquit. That would
be lawlessness. If there was grievous
miscarriage Of justice inBrand Waeck-
er's case, who was to blame for itp
The jury blundered and upon the
shoulders Of it's members the punish