The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-10


1arlous banking operations making this
necessary to my safety. In one place
would be known as dark-haired, with
long whiskers; in another, as smooth
faced, with light curly hair: in a third,
with close-cropped. dark dyed hair
and light lnuStaChe.
Sometimes l appeared to be rather
stout, again quite thin. You perceive it
was easy to vary these DISCUSSES to
almost any extent. So. as l have said,
L did not fear recognition. Once or
twice l got into the clutches of the
law officers, but eluded them by clever
devices of my own. l am a mind
reader. having been naturally pecul-
iarly gifted in this direction, and by
study of hypnotic methods in time 1
exceeded, or at least equalled, the per-
formances of Marks Bishop and other
mind readers. | got clear on one oc-
casion by hypnotizing the jailor and
walking off before his eyes, he believ-
ing that l was the jailer and he the
prisoner.
At last a peculiarly aggravated swim
die of ours in Goodwill riveted the at
tentiOn of the whole country. Marks
and Soule succeeded in escaping to
Canada, where l hoped to meet them.
Lenora was instructed to proceed to
quebec. while l was to join her later.
But l was hard pressed. There seemed
little chance of escape. I was at Port
land depot, well disguised, yet, knew,
in imminent danger of arrest. While
there | saw Vane but at first I could
not fully realize that it was my twin
brother. Sometimes in the seclusion of
our home, at Lenora's request, l would
doff all disguise, and at such times I
was the exact likeness of the man 1
saw that day.
1t appeared for a moment as if l
were observing my own reflection in a
mirror. Our clothes were much alike,
our bags exactly of the same pattern,
our OVercoats, which we carried on our
arms, near enough alike to deceive the
owners. I stared at him. I could not
help it, the resemblance was so COM
plete. But recollecting myself l walk
ed to little distance and surveyed
him less openly, and I now observed
that he acted strangely as if he hardly
knew what he was doing, or where he
was. He looked about in a vague, puz-
zled way that surprised me. But he
had observed my looks in his direction,
and after a time walked up to me and
said:
you appear to know me. What is
my name?"
Like a flash came the idea of shift
ing my identity to this man until I
could make my escape. I thought no
LII bilCi blldtl lllfS ANO COilC6pllOH OL llle
unhappy complications to follow oc-
Cured to me. I answered almost di-
rectly, Your name is Henry Ashley
I know you we'll
He did not appear satisfied, but we
entered into conversation. He told me
he had suddenly forgotten his name
and home. and every event of his past
life, Il know nothing, absolutely moth
ing, of the past" he said.
time and as I feared his belongings
might contain his name or some date
to refresh his recollectiCns, or be the
means of information to some person
to whom he might apply. / determined
to change travelling bags and to pos
sess myself of his note book. or any
papers that he carried. 1 succeeded in
doing so that very afternoon. but re-
stored his money and gave him my
own overcoat and travelling bag to
take the place of him, which thought
it prudent to confiscate. the better to
throw the police off their guard.
He was arrested a week later and
taken to Goodwill, where his strange
manner was believed to be ruse on
his part until his examination before
the authorities, when he was pro-
nounced mentally unsound and sent to
the asylum.
Lenora, who saw in the newspapers
the statement that Henry Ashley was
arrested, went to see the prisoner, but
cried out in establishment when adj
mitted He denied that she was his
wife. but she. thinking it best for my
safety, declared that she was. She saw
now that I was at large, and she knew
that the prisoner was the man she had
seen in Grovedale, and whom she had
for time mistaken for myself. She
was convinced that he could be no
other than my twin brother who had
been seeking me, but she, of course,
said nothing to any one except to me
when we met in Canada a few weeks
later.
Meanwhile, I had found the note
book and read it with interest. 1 saw
that Vane was a bank cashier, and /
judged him to be an honored citizen.
1 read the commissions he had noted
down-a gold ring for Clare" "a
writing-book for Perley,' and his
wife's request to bring himself and let
it be soon."
There were illusions to his business
at the bank and the mill. His partners
were named Henderson and Carter,
whom 1 saw in another place spoken
of as Uncle Carter" Tony Osborn
was the bank clerk, l learned, and the
president was r. II. Hastings. There
was a. great deal besides that told
much of his life, both private and pub
lie.
In the pocket of the notebook was
a key, and a ring with the words lin
trust" engraved inside. / put on the
ring and determined to use the key,
for l fancied it to be the key to the
bank and l believed I could open the
safe from the figures which l found in
another receptacle of the note book
judged by these figures noted down
that he did not dare trust to his men,
ory, which, no doubt. had been grad
ually failing him for some time.
went to Grovedale, and to the bank,
which 1 found without any trouble.
the newspapers in their eagerness for
the sensational having given full de-
scriptions of it and the village gener-
ally, in connection with the alleged
mysterious disappearance of the bank
cashier and his previous strange peri
odical trips, of which the reporter
made the most he could without actu-
ally questioning the honesty of the
cashier.
When I mounted the steps to the
bank a young man hailed me. "Hullo!"
he said. "Hullo." / answered, and
added. You didn't expect me back so
soon, did you?" and after the reply
that he did not, he passed down the
street. But / was afraid he might
return and | worked hastily, opening
the vault and safe by the figures had
found. and taking two notes of four
and five hundred each. which / judged
would be useful. But l took no money.
In Vane's bag / found a small box
containing aoOna gold shirt-gttidg and