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

who said he was a lawyer, and would take my case. I said all right, but that
 he would have to wait for his pay. He laughed and said he guessed there would
 be trouble about that, and the next
 thing I knew I was up before the judge. My lawyer went up and whispered some
 thing to him, and the magistrate said: Five hundred dollars bail for trial Look here,' I spoke up, Amt I going l to have chance to tell my story?
 Keep quiet said the lawyer, from
 behind his hand, this is just form. You
 won't never have to be tried It's Just 10 l get you out
 'So I said nothing and went back to | the pen and waited. and the next thing
 l knew they put me in a Black Maria
 and l landed in the Tombs. ] tell you | it was pretty tough bein' chucked in with
 a lot of dirty thieves and burglars. The bill of fare ain't above par, you know,
 and the company's worse. l sat in my ] cell and waited and waited for my law | yer to show up, for he had said he'd be right over. But he didn't come, and I had to spend the night there. Next
 morning the keeper told me that my law | yer was in the counsel room. So down l l went with two niggers who also had
 an appointment with their lawyer. it's 1 d nasty unventilated hole. and they lock l you and the lawyers all in together Ever
 been there?'
 l shook my head respectfully.
 "'Well says he, now have you got
 bondsman?'
 "A what? says I.
 "A bondsman-som one to go ball for
 you
 "'No. I answered, for I knew nothing
 about such things. | What, I thought you told me you 1 had lot of friends who had money. You | haven't been trifing with me, have your
 "I knew I hadn't told him anything of
 the sort. but thought that maybe he had | forgotten. so I said I hadn't any friends | who had any money, and knew no one to I go bail for me.
 Bad. Very bad! said he. You've got 1 to have money to get out Isn't there
 anyone who owes you money, or haven't | you got some claim or something"
 Then all of a sudden it flashed over | me about the diamond and my 10 per i cent of the reward, and then something
 in his eye made me think again. It 1 seemed to me that I had seen him before 1 somewhere. I couldn't remember just | where, but the more hesitated the surer | was. Then 1t came over me that few | days in jail. more or less. made mighty little difference when I was going to be
 a rich man so soon, and I decided l had | better hang on to what I'd got |
 You lier says he, growing very red. | You lie. You've got claim against the ] United States government | "Then he saw he'd made break. l Why, they all told me you caught a
 smuggler or something and had claim against the government for hundred dollars.
 ! CA hundredl' yelled. Twenty thou l sand-
 oh said he. as much as that? Why, i I'll get you out this afternoon. ! How?' said I.
 l Well. you will have to assign your 1 claim so I can raise the money on it. It s l a mere form
 i But the thought came into my mind. | better stay there ten years than let him i nave the claim, and I said; No, I didn
 understand such things, and I'd just wait ! until I could be tried ! Tried said he. Why, you won't be | tried for months.
 My heart sank right down into my | boots.
 | Don't be a fool, he went on. Here | you are sick and in prison, and If you l don't raise money to get bondsman | you'll stay here long time. You might i die. And if you assign that claim to me,