The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-12-22
WRONG MAN

lawyer but lately aohllt'e'' j..
what say you, Diek:" asked Oh
Boynton.
in theory | agree with our young
friend; in practice. with you. III give
YOU a case in point if YOU like.
at was about ten years ago Wh'A
was aroused about , o'clock in the
morning by Il messenger from a police
conrt the bearer Of a hastily scrubbed
note from an old client of mine. he
was a childlcss wldowcr, much inter
estcd in Egyptology, and consequent
" spent much of his time in Egypt
BEING rich, he could afford this eX-
pensive hobby.
"The note ! received ran:
"Dear ~Boynton-They have brought me
down here on some absurd charge OF
other. Come and arrange for my release
immndi . r. ROWLEY.
Il FASTENED TO the relief Of my eli
ent. Now, | must tell you he was very
fastidious in his dress and particularly
natty and trim in his appearance. lie
wore a brown beard. cut in Nandyke
fashion.
Judge, then, Of my astonishment
when | was shown a man dressed III Il
particularly tlashy style, Of the kind at
fected by the sporting fraternity
clean shaven face. sHye for an inch or
two of side whiskers.
"'Ah. Boynton, get me out OF this
quick
"'Ihere is some mistake l said to
the policeman.
GLOW! asked he.
"'NNhy, this is not Mr.. Rowley. This
is not the gentleman | came TO see.'
"'That 50: Well. this is the man
who gave me the note | sent up to YOU
"At this | looked up at the man be-
fore me and said:
"'Nhat made you use Mr.. Rowley's
name!'
He clutched me by the sleeve and
gasped out:
"'Nhy, man, what do you mean?
Do those clothes SO alter me? Speak!
Il looked at him very kcenly, and
gradually there dawned on me that,
after all, this was my old friend Row
ley.
"'Heavens. Is ii you, Rowley
What are you doing here? Come, man,
compose yourself and let's get at the
bottom of this
"All l could get from him was that
he had arrived the previous evening
in New York, had engaged a room at a
hotel and had gone straight to bed.
About midnight he had been aroused
by a violent knocking at the door and
on opening ii had been grutfly told that
he was under arrest.
Hurried by the officers, he had hasti-
~ dressed himself, protesting uselessly
that the clothes he was hustled into
were not his, and was hurried off to
the station.
mo amount Of cross questioning
could get him to vary or enlarge his
story, nor could he give me the slight
est reason for his arrest. As to his
beard, owing to a slight skin eruption
he had shaved it off some time ago.
The next step was to get him bailed
out. This ! found was not so easy a
task.
My nonrecosnition at first Of nv
friend was against him. The police ius-
tlce next morning protested that this
prisoner was a confidence man want
ed for various offenses, and that no
was a certain Wilcox, alias Bouchor
alias Palver, alias Moroney, and scott
lngly declared he would not let him
out under $4,000 bail.
Il did not stay to argue the mattor
out, but In less than an hour was hack
with a couple of friends of well known
wealth and standing.
Next morning my client was in y
state OF fever. l easily got a certificate
from my physician exaggeratinp the
Illness.
lie renamed in my house and in
bed for nearly a week. During that
tlme ! found out enough to solve tho
mystery to my moral satisfaction h,+
not enough to convince a jury or even
any outsider. The solution of the mvs.
terry was this:
lie man with many aliases had
colne by the same train as nv friend
howley, had registered at the same ho.
tel ana had been assigned a room IN
tne same narrow corridor. By some
chahce my friend after sumner hod
oeen given the key Of Mr., Willows
room ana mad gone straight to bed
MI. Wilcox's keen mind, ever hon+
on covering up his tracks, on fndino
mat he had been given the wrono l.a1,
said nothing, examined nv friond,s
vallse, and then the idea came :, 49,
mat 1t would be a good thing If y.
could pass out Of the hotel as nv d
Rowley. MI H.
The probability was that he Rou
ley) was IN his room. To open the door
was an easy trick for the crook Thon
ne must have taken nv friends o+uso