The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1907-10-09

The Nan Who A.Alsd
iVFFYTNTTTmfmnffn1 .s.r1EnFy .irfffI "a

plcked Up pretty Iair EnoWIcuSe
spanish. aAd when his pilgrimage ba
begun b0 had no trouble In maxim
AimsOli Understood by the people
eucountoral. E'or three wsoEs he had |
NO advouturos worth recording. Then
they followed thiek aud fast. One
night ut village ian he was awakened |
from sleep by thres 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 |
sVery word that passed. When he
came to get sight Of the men he saw
that they were hard cases. They had.
as was soon related, committed 4 rob-
berry and perhaps murder on the
highway few miles distant. They
had shot a horsemsn out of his sad
die, plundsred his persoA and loft him
where he fell. The money taken from
him had been concealed in deserted
hut. and over and oyor again the trid
pledged Themselves at their dagger
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. II
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 Amsri-
ean'B hair stand up. and he was only
toe glad whom they finally left the inn
Without knowing that the next room
was occupied. Whom they had gone
Fowler lay awake fer hours wonder.
He had heard the men call each other
by their hrst names. He could give
the police a minute description Of
them. BE knew that they were to sep.
arats and where each one was to pass
the next menth. They had even nam.
ed the man they had robbed and per.
hapS murdered. Tho student had only
to 20 to the police and state his case,
and all the clsws would be In their
hands. He had about decided to do
this when he went down to breakfast
but little circumstance changed his
mind. The landlord himself brought
his breakfast and after a word or two
about the weather carelessly observed:
81 trust that the senior slept we'll last
nightT
Every well, indeed" was the reply.
"Thero were some late travellers. I
hope thoy did not disturb your
mot 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
prominent citizen Of the province had
been fatally shot and plundered on the
highway the night before. but the land
lord said nothing about 1t. 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 Of on his daily tramp
he bade the landlord such a cheerful
adleu and spoke so many words In
praise of his house that the man could
have no suspicious Of him. NeVerthe-
less he had reasons to believe that he
was dogged and kept track Of for the
Re1t three days.
The crime had excited widespread In
terest. The victim was prominent in
church and state, and the money he
was carrying belonged to the former.
This made the crime a heinous enc in
the eyes of the masses. A large re-
ward was offered. the police melted to
do their best, and 1t was believed that
the criminals would soon be captured.
Fowler heard everybody talking about
the affair, but had little to say about
1t himself.
The crime OF the highway was a
week old when a 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 fnd 1t He wanted to
see II the plunder 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 It
about six miles from the hut, he cut
across the country. He found the hut,
but when within ten feet Of 1t was ar
rested by 4 gendarme. Three hours
later he was In prison charged with
the crime. Then several other thlagB
happened him. When he attempted to
prove an albi by the landlord at
whose inn he lay that night the man
kicked It all over out ofrsyenge. When
he said the money was concealed In
the hut he WAS charged with an inten-
ton to secure II for his own use. Hsv.
Ing overheard the talk of the murder
ers, 1t was his duty TO have informed the
police at once. In not doing so he was
made accessory after the fact. yrom
his description the three men were
soon arrested. They combined to swear
the crime en- Fowler.
The. case dragged along fer two
years and was then get for trial. A
witness died. and It was postponed.
Again q Judge VAS taken III. Once
more something Was found wrong In
the lndlctme 1t. Then the matter was
forgotten. At the enl OF soven years
something WAS done, but 1t was fully
eleven years before tie case WAS ANAL
Iy tried and Fowler was discharged
from custody and warned to keep out
Of Spain Ia the future. His curiosity
had brought terrible punishment. He
went to Spain an athletic young man
with a rosy future before him. He
tame out Of prison gray haired, bent
and hopeless and did not llyS year
after landing on American soil.
NJ. QUAD.
U1fatIarfa ConeeIf