Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1905-06-22
AN EXCEANCE
OF 8.ACS

1t happened twenty years ago, and to
this day l am puzzled TO know how
exchanged bags With Il fellow Traveller
on the train from London to Liverpool.
The exchange was made, however, and
Sc exactly alike were the bags that |
supposed ! had my own until | found
that my key would not open it. l ad-
vertiSed for the owner of the strange
bag and for the holder of my own, and
! let six weeks elapse before taking the
bag to a locksmith and having him fit
key.
! had met with no great loss in my
bag, and ! gained nothing by the ex-
change. Aside from a few articles OF
wearing apparel the strange bag con
tanned only papers. l felt for time
that l had no right to read these docu-
ments, and they had been In my pos
session nearly six months before |
brought them out one evening and
spent two hours in their perusal.
l was an old bachelor, and am to this
day for that matter. l was also bar
rister and am not so Old but what l
dabble in law a bit yet. The papers
were carefully prepared legal docu-
ments bearing on the case of Major
Saunders, an English army officer who
had been cashered in Egypt. They
proved him great scOundrel, taken
altogether, and my opinion was that
some one with private grievance to
satisfy had employed lawyer and
detective to trace the majors record
back for many years and make him
out as guilty Of almost everything but
murder. ! could not recall that | had
ever read or heard Of him and certain
" had no idea of ever meeting him
face to face Strange things happen in
this world, however.
On the second afternoon after my
pcrusal of the papers l was invited by
g friend to dine with him at his club.
The Leisure I-0ur club was resqecta-
bic III way. lUt had the reputation
of numbering, Q good many high rollers
among its members. There was al
ways play gong on, and It was SO high
financial grief. After dinner | was
taken into the card room, and It was
there that ! came face TO face with Ma
jOr Saunders. He had come home from
L-yDt and changed his name and by
avoiding the military clubs had escap-
as a Frenchman and making no claim
to having been an officer.
You Will wonder how | recognized
him. My profession has made me as
observing as detective. The papers
contained minute description Of the
man-as minute as if he had been a
murderer fleeing from justice. One Of
the points was a particular scar on his
face another was the shape Of his nose,
another was slight limp in his gait,
still another was a finger missing from
his left hand. carried away by the bull
let Of a dervish
Before making any move in the mat
ter l set myself to find out why the
major visited the club at al. I soon
discovered that the high play was the
magnet, and the three Of us who
watched him like SO many hawks were
not long In making out that he was one
of the cleverest card sharperS Of the
day he had been winner from the
first. but was such a slick one that he
had not been detected in cheating. We
made no mistake on him. Not q whis |
per was permitted to get around until
we had the most convincing proof that
he was Il cheat and q swindler
How he got Oh to me and the fact /
that I had papers in my possession in
terminating him is greater mystery |
than the exchange OF bags. / have |
sometimes figured that he might have !
been the owner of the bag l opened,
having perhaps stolen it from the right
full ow,ar. Something must have been
said in his hearing by some member Of |
the club, as he never asked me con-
cerning the bags. Indeed. I had not |
passed ten words Of conversation with |
him. In some way that will never be |
clear to me he came to know or to
suspect that l had the papers and had
or might recognize him, and he laid |
his plans accordingly. i had my office
at that time in a street off the Strand. |
1t was up four flights and in the rear
and quite cut off from any other build
ing.
l can't say that l expected a call
from the major. l cannot even say |
that l was sure he knew what a whip |
/ held over him and was prepared for |
any move OH his part. If had figured |
Oh his making any move at all it would
have been TO drop out of sight and be
heard of In the club no more. Perhaps |
this would have been his course had
not the pickinss been SO good and had
he not bten SO sure that his rascalities |
were too deeply concealed to be ex
posed.
1t was one dark and foggy February !
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