The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-01-20
RESTORED
lorirlnall

The judge turned 10 a young lawyer
present, one who had recently beel
admitted to practice. and said:
You may take this case"
The prisoner and his counsel with
drew, and when they were alone tn,
latter asked his client for informa
! ton
The trouble started twenty years
ago. said the accused man, My wife
was greatly troubled that we had Nd
child and constantly longed for one
though IL seemed to me that my In,
| come was too small for two, TO say
nothing OF three, However. eircum.
stances brought us boy, two years
! old and pretty as a picture, who had
been born of other parents. His IA.
ther and mother, acqualntances of
| ours, died within few days Of each
other of pneumonia aud left him alb.
solutely uncared for. We took him to
our home and gave him all the atten.
ton he required, intending to bring
him up as our adopted son. He was
bright little fellow and very affection,
ate. OF course at that age he soon
forgot his father and mother, and
since we took their places he supposed
he was our own child. l was very
fond Of him, and my wife. who idol,
lied him, spent great deal OF money
dressing him and buying pretty things
for him. He was taken sick with
scarlet fever, and we watched over
him night and day till he recovered.
This OF course, meant large doctors
bill, which neither l nor my wife
would have objected to had we the
means TO meet 1t, and even as 1t was
we were rejoiced because our pet
suffered nothing in consequence of an
ailment which leaves so many chill.
dren blighted.
zone day when the child was four
years old he disappeared. Some chill
dren with whom he was playing at
the time on the sidewalk said that a |
man came along who took him by the |
hand and led him away, promising
him that he would buy him some can
dy. We believed that he had been
kidnapped for ransom, but as no ran
som was ever demanded we Were puZ-
zled. My wife was frantic about her
loss, and confess I was stunned. We
hired private detectives TO trace him.
but they failed to find him.
After giving up hope. counted up
my Indebtedness, all of which had
been incurred for our dear boy, and
found 1t more than 5000. wished
to conceal the matter from my wife,
whose love for the child and her ex-
travagance on his account had partial
ly caused 1t. carried the load secret
ly for years, robbing Peter to pay
Paul, hoping that my affairs would
take favorable turn and l might pay
1t of. But as grew older my services
became less valuable, and the debt be-
came greater on account of the exorbi-
tant rate OF interest l was forced to
pay 1t occurred to me that IL | could
get 1t into the hands of one man
could handle it more easily. SO l pea
suaded a man to buy up the claims
But I found myself only in a worse
than before The fellow in
iuced me to sign a paper, the contents
II which ] did not read carefully. 1t
contained misrepresentation. Think
ng he could bleed me through rela-
ives (who would not turn hand to
ave me), he made criminal charge"
The young lawyer listened to this
ecital attentiyely and, when 1t was
inished, without asking for any fur. !
her details. returned to the court
Dom and asked for a continuance of
he case till subsequent date. This
vas granted. the prisoner was re-
handed and the attorney went away.
The next day the lawyer drove up in
carriage to the prison and presented
paper directing the discharge Of his
lient The old man, wondering, step
ed out in the light Of day, and his
ounsel bade him enter the carriage,
aging that be would drive him home
lie newly discharged prisoner obeyed
expecting an explanation
zone came. Then they drove up to a
habby cottage and were met by an
Id lady who, when the discharged
nan muttered the word free" fell
1to his arms and wept. Then when
hey were in the house the lawyer
Ook the hand Of each In his and said:
Il am the boy you lost eighteen years
go. Yesterday after hearing your
tory went home, examined some
apers that have long been in my pos
ession and found, as | suspected, that
Ou were my foster parents l was
tolen away by relative who had
armed that | had fallen heir through
n aunt to fortune. His purpose was
trough me to get possession of my
gacy. He traced me after my par
ats death to you, but as he feared
Ou would not give me up he conclud- 4
to entice me away. He failed to .
ecure my fortune, but that story
IN tell you another time. Here Is a &
.ceipt for your indebtedness-my In
ebtedness rather which | have paid.
or the rest of your lives | shall en- -.
eavor to take care Of you as you took :,
ire of me-"