The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-10
The MISSING MIN ' In !'!!:!! !.1'
By AAPYR. ?. HATCH.
Author Of
"The Bank Tragedy"

own home l walked to the riVer-bank
and tossed the cap carelessly into the
bushes and dropped the other shirt
stud on the gravelled bank: not with
out some qualms of conscience, for
there arose in my mind the distress of
his wife in thinking he might be
drowned. But l rejected the thought
in moment. He would soon be re-
leased, and then it would be all right
l reasoned Meanwhile, it was well for
me to have the affair wrapped in mys-
terry for the present.
l altered the notes and presented
them at the bank. There was no need
OF any hypnotic or unusual methods
10 deceive Simon Low. l looked ex-
actly like the man he knew, and he
recognized me as Vane Hamilton al
most directly, paying over the money
without comment or question. To the
other bank l produced credentials and
letter purporting to have been writ
ten by r. H. Hastings, whose hand
writing | initiated from note found
among Vane's belongings. 1 after
wards wrote the letter found under
the bank presidents door. 1 placed it
there myself when on my way to Join
Lenora in Canada. In the letter
wrote as If the cashier wished to make
1t appear that he would soon return
ana eXonerate Osborn from suspicion
IN manner to make the affair still
more dark and puzzling.
After this l stayed in Quebec for a
long time, receiving letters from the
states which l was too wise to notice
Tor L was sure they were lures; and
eIuded Bruce on the street, for he had
peen pointed out to me as a detective,
by diving into a cellar. When he en-
tered, my whiskers had been stripped
OFF, my tall hat crushed to a low one,
my countenance was changed by ia
clal contortions to the appearance of 4
full-faced man. and l was talking
Dutch with great Volubility as I slipped
lager beer. All had been done in a
few seconds of time and though he
looked at me suspiciously and ques-
TONED me sharply he evidently failed
20 connect me with the man of whom
he was in pursuit
Finally, l read in the newspap ers of
the death, by drowning, of Henry Ash
ley with an account of the whole at
Ialr, summary of his life and dishon-
est course. which it stated had culmi-
mated in insanity and DEATH
L was sincerely sorry for all this,
though | reasoned as he was insane he
probably failed to realize the horrors
OF his situation. / was not hard-heart-
ed naturally. and my wicked life had
-NAAON " AiioIhG IllG wholly Ddu. lHOuSH
the declaration will, doubtless be
questioned, I will still venture to state
for 1t is true-that I actually grleved
over his death though l did not know
MN, and 1 felt regret for the sorrow of
his wife and children, and tried to
think it as well that they did not know
of his death
There were even times when I felt
myself to be almost, if not quite, the
means of his death: but Lenora en-
deaVored to convince me that he was
insane when I met him, and without
my Intervention might have been ar
rested in my place and as there was no
means Of actual identification about
his person or belongings, his name APP
pearlng nowhere in full that the prob
ability was strong that he would never
have found his way to his home And
1 tried to believe her.
Marks my evil genius. was in Can
ada. and it was he who. after the
death of the supposed Ashley, whom
we knew to be Vane Hamilton, pro-
posed that / return to Grovedale to
take up the position and honor of my
dead twin brother. There would be no
danger at all to me. he argued. with
my peculiar gifts and talents. The af-
fairs and personages connected with
the the bank matters had been laid
bare by the newspapers; pictures of
many prominent citizens had been Civ
en-, and L had his notebook. the ring,
and some articles of his clothing.
Besides, I possessed in an unusual de-
gree the gift of mind reading, the sub
tie magnetic or psychical chain which
binds one individual to another, MAX
ing them one through transmission of
the vibrations Of the mind. | cannot
explain the phenomenon, but the i'm
preston in one mind doubtless pro-
duces an idea or emotion, the emotion
an impulse to the Imagination which
constructs a vision, for l see actually
see, what passes in the minds of others
Upon this gift Marks declared l might
depend, and he instructed me in the
science to which he himself had intro
duced me until really felt myself pos
sessed of an almost irresistible power
and one that awed me at times
We made many experiments with
Lenora's assistance. l would will that
she should get up in the night at mid
night to sweep the room, and she would
arise and sweep it as well and carefully
as though it were midday, evidently
being able to see perfectly, without any
light. ! would pinch my arm, and when
Marks was the subject he would sud-
denly cry out and clap his hand to the
exact spot. But enough of this. It
will be seen that my power over indi-
viduals was great.
At last / decided to go to Grovedale
and pretend I was Vane Hamilton, who
had lost his sense of identity but re-
covered it. / had informed myself of
one or two similar cases when the
mind had suddenly recovered it's
powers, and it would agree. I reason
ed, with his manner when he was on
the train, which was said to have
been unusual. Besides. such a state
ment, if skilfully carried out, would
explain partially the altered notes
which I was to profess to know moth
ing about, but to make up If trouble
seemed likely to grow out of the mat
ter.
In short, I decided to do exactly as
the real Vane Hamilton would have
done had he returned after the hal
lucination had left his brain and
memory. He would know nothing
about the notes or what had occur
red. ] would know nothing. If the
doubt remained strong about his COM
ing to Grovedale and presenting the
notes, he would doubtless, with his
sense of honor. offer to repay them
would do so. but I would say moth
ing about a twin brother, for he, it
appeared. had never mentioned the
matter to any one, not even to his
wife, or so newspapers stated and It
would be far better for my plans not
to have il known that any such per-
son existed.
1t is known how the plan succeed
ed, but il is not known how It was
regarded by myself.
When / stepped from the train aud
walked UP the street / perceived looks