The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-25

Cured the enmity of band OF gam
blers, whom he denounced for robbtng
young man of all his savings. The
ring leader, Bill McCarter. dared
| George to come to his Office and get
| from him a statement denying the
| charges. George went and was TER
| ribly beaten by the whole band, who
| fell on him from behind as he entered
| the gamblers office.
"The trial was in August and Nc
Carter was sent to Jail. He swore then
he would hunt George down and kill
| him If 1t took the rest of his life to DO
| it. George then left Garden City and
went to Topeka, where he was en-
ployed getting out a special edftion OF
| the Morning Capital. and also was
compiling a book for Secretary of
Agriculture Coburn. 81
George went to Kansas City on bust
| ness on January 2. He had about SIS
and some clothes and papers In suit
case. He was last seen in the ONCE OF
the Franklin Hudson Publishing COM
pany on the afternoon of January 4.
where he said he was going that night
to start for Garden City.
I'VE know now he must have been
assaulted that night on his way to the
station. and we believe it was by either
the gambler or his men who had
threatened to kill him. When George
recovered consciousness he found he
had been stripped of all his clothes and
possessions by which he could be iden-
What he did after that no one
knows. not even himself. But he evil
IDENTIFY took the train for Garden City
and staid right on, going to Denver
From there he wandered down to San
Diego in some fashion. We know he
appeared at Judson's ranch on January
H.
Harrison's own story of his expert
ences follows:
BY George Blair Harrison.
My impression has been that had
gone from Chicago to Kansas City on
November II of last year and that
when / was walking up from the I'M
ion station in Kansas City early in the
evening three men jumped out In
front of a billboard. in the rear of
cornor saloon. and sandbagged me.
My idea was that I suddenly regained
consciousness. jumped up. grabbed
what I thought was my suit case and
ran until I reached the lighted streets.
Apparently the suit case turned out to
be cheap telescope belonging to one
of the robbers and containing cloth
ing. 1 still have the telescope, and
they tell me that / lost a good suit
case when, l disappeared.
My recollections is that l went to
Denver where 1 was sick for a week.
1 remember having little money in
an inside pocket. but supposed that
had been relieved of about $50. A
DOCTOR whom recall
Denver, told me / should go to hos
pital for an operation. had to con-
fess lacking about s495 for the neces-
sary expense and asked him for an
alternative. Between a long sea voy-
age and outdoor work in an eqnable
climate I chose the latter and made
for California. ] have no memory of
what happened between Kansas City
and Denver or until California. save
a sick spell in the utter loneliness of
Cheyenne. f-a. s-..- r.e
He Captures a Name.
At Denver I must have been sick in
some cheap hotel. for i do not recall
registering or talking with any land
lord. 1 had feeling of being lost in
space. of having been stripped bare
of everything, even my name Once or
twice l caught the name "A. n. Ores
ham," and repeated it to keep it in my
mind, for it seemed to be my own.
/ lost it and wandered about mentally
until I got it back again, when l wrote
1t down. f.f..--f
My first clear recollection is of spend
ing a few hours in Los Angeles and
going on to San Diego early in Janu-
airy. There I fell In with Mr.. Judson,
a prominent ranchman of the San
Pasqual valley in San Diego county,
and secured employment at his place.
where 1 have been living up to week
ago. At that time 1t was very clear
to me that my name was Gresham
and that / hailed from st. Louis.
Through reading the literature of an
employment agency it became fixed in
my mind that 1. had worked for an
eastern concern modelled upon similar
| lines. 1t was not, however. until /
talked with an officer of 1t that l re-
membered clearly the men and office
methods 1 had been familiar with in
| the eastern institution.
Among these disconnected bits of
rnf inc me- u II
had been associated while working ror
| the Worlds fair at st. Louis, with a
man named George Harrison In a deal
to clean up after The fair lot OF
| souvenirs advertising novelties. 1t
seemed to me that 1 had taken over
| the stuff on consignment and that
Harrison's share of the proceeds that
should have resulted amounted to
| 1880
This kept coming to my mind. and
| / felt frequently and more strongly
than the average man regards a debt
that / should pay him the $3.50 His
address, Topeka. Kansas, came to me
in April, and I sat down to the ranch
typewriter and wrote the Harrison
person a letter explaining that this
was due him, but that 1 had invested
all my money in broiler plant and
could not pay him until fall.
received a reply from Mrs. Har-
rison. saying that her husband had
disappeared and that they did not
know whether he was alive or dead
| Her writing seemed rather familiar to
me, but no more so than rnaI on
| envelopes coming to Mrs. Judson from;
| her mother.
L gave the matter no more thought
| until when in San Diego to market
| some broilers this month / stepped
| into a store to buy some chick Feed.
The man. who filled my order, asked