The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-04-25
False Witness.
IOriginal.l

l
Hastings in England and asked If he
| might be taken in for the night. The
| only member of the family at home
| was Miss Amy Hastings, aged twenty,
| to whom the matter was referred. She
| took look at the visitor and saw that
he was in evident distress, but whether
! it was from WEAKNESS or hunger or
both or from some unexplained trouble
she did not discover. She was not in
| clined to turn him away So she order
| ed that a supper be given him and
afterward that he be shown to bed
| room in the attic.
| 1t was 9 o'clock in the evening when
| the sound of horses hoofs were heard
without, and in a few moments a
| young man in riding costume, bespat-
| tered with mud, hurried into the house.
Miss Hastings, wondering who could
be coming in such a hurry, met him in
the hallway.
clarence Paget where did you come
/ from?'
"Amy, the bailiffs are after me for
/ debt. I'm in the tolls of the money
| lenders, and if they get me I'll be shut
up within stone walls, and Lord knows
IL I'll ever get out"
"Oh, Clarence!"
81 don't know whether to ask you to
| hide me here or to go on farther. They
know I'm on the road and may know
Of my relations with you. 1 fear they
| will search the house. If / could get a
disguise it would be better for me to
| go on"
Miss Hastings pondered. Then, tell
| ing her lover to wait bit, she went
away. Presently she returned bearing
a suit of mans clothes. She had direct
! ed her maid to go into the room occu-
pied by the stranger and purloin his
apparel. Giving them to Paget, she
| sent him upstairs for a change, and
| when he returned he was arrayed in a
suit In which a Scotch cap and plaid
| waistcoat were conspicuous. Then TAX
ing parting kiss, he left the house.
| The next morning the visitor of the
night before found in his room, instead
Of his own clothes, riding suit. There
was nothing for him to do but put it
on, and, having done so, he went
downstairs to be met by Miss Hastings
with an apology for having appropriat-
| ed his clothes, though she did not ex-
plain why. She dropped couple of
guineas in his hand. He pocketed them
and departed.
The man had not gone an hour when
| q messenger came with q note from
| Clarence Paget announcing that he had
been arrested, but not by the bailiffs
who were after him for debt. He had
| met party coming from the opposite
| direction, who, seeing him dressed in q
Scotch cap and plaid waistcoat, told
him that he was the man they We're
looking for and arrested him for high
way robbery. For heavens sake" the
note concluded, "let me know to whom
the cap and waistcoat belong"
i Miss Hastings was appalled,. Unwit-
tingly she had got her lover into a
| more serious trouble than imprison-
ment for debt She sent out manserv-
ants to find the visitor, but no trace OF
| him could be found.
The case of the crown versus Clar-
ence Paget excited great deal of at
tention. A bishop had been riding in
| his carriage on the highway when he
was stopped and robbed by man
wearing a Scotch cap and plaid waist
coat Paget, dressed in his borrowed
! costume, was taken before the bishop
and identified as the man who had
robbed him.
There was one chance for Paget.
That was the testimony Of Amy Hast
ings and the servant who had changed
the suits. This might have saved him
had it not been that the bishop swore
positively that he was the robber.
Paget was sentenced to twenty years
penal servitude.
Miss Hastings, who blamed herself
! for the unfortunate consequences of
her hasty act, determined to, be mar
ried to her lover and share, so far as
| possible, his exile with him. The day
before Paget was to be transported,
| while she was preparing to go to the
Jail for the marriage ceremony, she
| received note in a handwriting she
| had never before seen.
IL was from Iuo owner OF the cap
| and waistcoat.
II The writer stated that he had been
arrested for robbing a coach on the
| night he had slept in her house and
begged that she would give her evil
dence to prove an alibi. Miss Hastings
| at once sent word to the lawyers that
the real owner of the cap and waist
coat was forthcoming, and stay for
her lover was secured. Then she Wis
tied the man who had caused the trou-
BILE and found that he had long been
| highwayman, but had been arrested
for an offense he had not committed
Paget's case was reopened, with the
result that he was acquitted. The
highwayman was not tried for the Of
tense for which he was arrested, but
was convicted for robbing the bishop.
News did not get about in those days
as it does now, and the bishop was
not appraised of his mistake when one
morning it was announced to him that
couple were in his waiting room who