Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-06-18

HOW ACHIEVED SUCCESS.

| achieved eminence. From their exam
| pie deduced principle, During the
| early years of ones career let him do
| ten times the work expected of him.
| If Francis Atwater had not gone to
| sleep on the train that was taking him
| to his home in the suburbs and not
| gone on to Royalton instead of getting
| out at Millburn he would not have
! been convicted of the murder of Fair
| fax Douglas. And quite likely l
should have missed an opportunity to
make a name rs Il criminal lawyer.
| But Atwater did go TO sleep on the
| train and did wake up and get out
] three stations above his own.
"Hello. Atwater!' said his old friend
| Douglas as they met on the platform.
| What are you doing up here?"
| Atwater told him of his snooze, and
as there was no train down for an hour
Douglas pressed him TO go home and
dine with him. Atwater accepted, and
| the two men went home together
Douglas lived with his mother. who
| was away at the time. and there was
| no one with him except the servants.
| The two men dined together, and after
| dinner Atwater kept putting off his
tTclu 10 train Illl III
| last he consented to remain all night.
AT II o'clock host and guest went up
stairs to their bedrooms. Just before
getting into bed Atwater went to
Douglas room to tell him that he
| must take an early train in the morn
ing and could not remain for break
| fast. Douglas was putting his watch
under his pillow, and Atwater saw. as
the pillow was lifted. revolver
For burglars?" asked Atwater, look
ing at the weapon.
No"
Atwater appeared curious. and Doug
las added that there was a story con-
| neoted with his keeping a pistol under
his head at night and that he always
carried one about him during the day.
Atwater pressed him to tell him why
he did this, but Douglas seemed trou-
bled at the mention of the matter. eX-
cusing himself from giving the story.
Atwater forbore to press him further
and went to his own room.
Atwater awoke in the morning
dressed and went to his friends room
TO say goodby. A fearful sight greet
ed him. Douglas was lying dead, his
head hanging off the bed so as to ex-
pose the throat, which was a dark pur-
pie. indicating strangulation. Atwa-
ters first impulse was to arouse the
house, but his second was to allow
some one else to discover the murder.
He knew that the man caught with a
murdered person was liable to suspi-
cion. and no one can tell where such
suspicion Will lead. He would depart
~ hn hnd into oil Uir,V
about having seen his friend. He left
the room, turned to go down the main
staircase and. descending. went out of
the front door. He was all of trem-
bic when he got on the train. but went
to the city, attended TO his duties as
usual and was going home. expecting
to see Douglas death in the evening
paper, when he was stopped at the
door of his office by a policeman, who
arrested him on Il charge of murder.
A maid had gone up the back staircase
as Atwater had emerged from the
chamber of death and had seen him
leave the room.
l was retained to defend Atwater
and got the story 1 have told from
him, but / could not tell such n story
to n jury. A murder trial is a tilt be-
tween the prosecuting attorney and the
accuseds counsel with weapons ar
ranged for by the court, the judge
handing them their pistols just as n
second will hand pistols to duelists. l
had no case whatever. Douglas could
give no reason for being at ROyaltOn
except that he had gone to sleep on
the train. He was seen leaving the
victims room and had gone to his bust
ness, saying nothing about the murder.
The prosecuting attorney made fine
speech, calling the jury's attention to
the wisdom of the Supreme Being who
had sent the maid up the back stair
case in the nick of time. -Atwater was
convicted and sentenced to be banged
1t was after the trial that / got
in my fine work. l knew from my eli |
ent's story that Douglas had been eX-
pecting an attack, but from whom? l
worked night and day till found out; |
but, finding out could not prove that |
the person l suspected had committed |
the murder One thing of Importance
I did find out, though to do so had to |
play detective The secret enemy had |
sworn to kill not only Douglas. but an
other man. That other man was at the |
When he returned l asked him ques-
tions, the answers to which tailed with |
what had learned
One morning / found myself a dis |
tinguished criminal lawyer. l had |
slept the night before in the bed usual |
ly occupied by Judge Dudley. Just be- |
fore daylight man had entered the |
room. and 1 had shot him dead. He |
proved to be Tom keenan, and had !
some ten years before been sent to |
state prison by Judge Dudley, his con-
viction having been secured by Prose |
cutting Attorney Fairfax Douglas. He |
had sworn to kill both the Judge and |
the attorney. After Douglas death 1 |
knew he would try to kill the Judge an |
soon as he returned from abroad, and |
1 surmised he would take the same |
method he had taken with Atwater I |