The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-06

Well. I thought so, too, and laughed
 with him.
 But he continued, you're in an em-
 barrassing position You can't get out
 without money and you can't collect your
 claim. You'll have to assign It to some
 one. You can't assign it to your wife.
 That wouldn't be valid. Haven't you got
 some friend?
 " I'm afraid not, said I. " That's unfortunate, he remarked looking out where the window ought to be. "Very unfortunate. I might lend you
 couple of hundred myself he added.
 I will, tool
 'rhe blood jumped right up in my
 throat
 "'God bless your said I, you're true friendr
 ''He laid his hand on my shoulder.
 " You're in hard luck, old man, but you're going to win out. I'll stand by you. Here's five. I'll go out and get
 the rest right off. Then all of sudden I began to 1eel
 like a king. I could see myself in a new suit having bottle up at the Hay
 market I realized that I was a twenty
 thousand dollar millionaire. And just to
 show my chest I said: Why, you're an honest man and a
 true friend. You take my claim and go and collect 1t this afternoon says I. " Mo- he hesitated, it's too much re- sponsibility. I'll trust you for the money and you can pay me afterward. But with that ass that I was, I Tell 10 begging him to take the claim and
 saying he must take it, just to show he
 believed I trusted him. and so after a
 while he reluctantly yielded and filled out a paper and l signed it and got in the warden as witness, and he rose to go. " Well, till this afternoon says he. Au revoir, l laughed, get yourself
 bottle of wine for me- says I. And off
 he goes.
 "As I passed back to the cells who
 should I see beside the door but my old lowyer
 ''I shook my fist in his face. " You old robber, I says we'll see if l can't get along without you' He sneered in my face. 70, you - fool says he, you poor. poor, - fool
 Then he was gone. So went back to
 the cell and sang and whistled and fig ured on where I should take my little
 Jessie for dinner I waited and waited. Six o'clock and no word. Then I began to get nervous
 !" You poor, poor, - fool! Tine words rang around in my cell Then something sort of gave inside. I knew I'd been robbed, and I yelled and shook the bars of the door and tried to get out. I cried for Jessie. The keeper came and told me to keep still. but I was plumb crazy and kept on yelling until ev erything got black and tainted" And your lawyer never came backo" T. He never came back" Riggs shouted. He never came back I've been robbed I'm poor - fool. just as Todd said I was.' And Riggs burst into tears which continued to roll down his cheeks while he tried to wipe them off on his arm bade him cheer up and promised to do all l could to protect his rights Then I called up the Custom House "Paid?' came back the voice of the United States district attorney "Of course not. The claim is worthless until the diamond is sold and anyway such an assignment you describe is invalid under our statutes. You had better exc cute a revocation, however. and place 1t on file here. Yes, I'll look out for the matter"
 The keeper and Riggs arose in unison, the same urbane smile that had previous ly illuminated his countenance restored. One day, about a week later, was in formed that Riggs had been convicted of assault and sentenced to a years im- prisonment on Blackwells Island.