The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-07-11
u
] The Man Who Nodded


From a fellow student Fowler had
picked up pretty fair knowledge of
Spanish, and when his pilgrimage had
begun he had no trouble in making
himself understood by the people he
encountered For three weeks he had
no adventures worth recording. Then
they followed thick and fast One
night at village inn he was awakened
from sleep by three men who entered
the room next to his and began talk
ing and drinking. The partition was
of boards and full of cracks, and the
student had no difficulty in hearing
every word that passed. When he
came to get sight of the men he saw
that they We're hard cases. They had,
as was soon related, committed a rob-
berry and perhaps murder on the
highway few miles distant. They
had shot horseman out of his sad
die, plundered his person and left him
where he fell. The money taken from
him had been concealed in q deserted
hut, and over and over again the trio
plCuSCu lASluSSlNSS aI luClL udSSSA
points to be faithful to each other in
the division Of the spoils. No single
one of them was to visit the hut with
out the consent of the other two. If
one proved traitor the others were to
hunt him to his death. After the hue
and cry was over they were to divide.
The manner in which those fellows
talked of the crime made the Ameri-
cans hair stand up, and he was only
too glad when they finally left the inn
without knowing that the next room
was occupied. When they had gone
Fowler lay awake for hours wonder
ing what he had best do in the matter.
He had heard the men call each other
by their first names. He could give
the police a minute description Of
them. He knew that they We're to sep
arate and where each one was to pass
the next month. They had even nam
ed the man they had robbed and per-
haps murdered. The student had only
to 60 to the police and state his case,
and all the clews would be in their
hands He had about decided to do
this when he went down to breakfast,
but q little circumstance changed his
mind The landlord himself brought
his breakfast and after word or two
about the weather carelessly observed:
81 trust that the senior slept well last
night?''
every WE'LL indeed" was the reply.
There were some late travellers. I
hope they did not disturb your"
Not at all.''
The landlord looked at him sharply
and then seemed satisfied. After that
there was no doubt in Fowler's mind
that his host knew of the crime and
was accessory before or after. 1t was
already known in the village that q
prominent citizen of the province had
been fatally shot and plundered on the
highway the night before, but the land
lord said nothing about it. An hour
later Fowler got the information from
Others He now decided to say moth
ing to the authorities about the affair,
and in setting off on his daily tramp
he babe the landlord such cheerful
/ dolCu anu SlJONS 81 ludllS WINS ~
praise of his house that the man could
have no suspicious of him. Neverthe-
less he had reasons to believe that he
was do@gel and kept track Of for the
next three Gays.
The crime had excited widespread in
church and state, and the money he
was carrying belonged to the former.
This made the crime a heinous one in
the eyes of the masses. A large re-
ward was offered. the police melted to
do their best, and it was believed that
the criminals would soon be captured.
; Fowler heard everybody talking about
the affair, but had little to say about
, it himself.
The crime of the highway was a
i week old when strange freak seized
! the American. He decided to go back
over his road and visit the hut in
which the plumber was concealed. The
men had located it so closely that he
| knew he could find it. He wanted to
see If the plumber was really there. 1t
was the most extraordinarily foolish
thing he could have thought of, but he
! yielded to the impulse. In returning
he took the train instead Of making
the journey on foot, and, leaving 1t
about six miles from the hut, he cut
across the country. He found the hut
i but when within ten feet of it was ar.
rested by gendarme. Three hours
later he was in prison charged with
the crime. Then several other things
happened him. When he attempted tc
prove an alibi by the landlord at
whose inn he lay that night the man
kicked it all over out of revenge. When
he said the money was concealed IL
the hut he was charged with an inten
ton to secure it for his own use. HaV
ing overheard the talk of the murder
ers, it was his duty to have Informed the
police at once. In not doing so he was
made accessory after the fact. From
his description the three men were
soon arrested. They combined to swear
the crime on Fowler.
The case dragged along for two
years and was then set for trial. 4