Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-06-02

Cameron stepped into the cabin to
get fresh cigar and Mrs. Cameron
went into the kitchen about the same
time, leaving me alone out on the deck
by the table with the candy. Under
meath the plates. to protect the table
top. were several sheets of newspaper.
My glance fell upon these papers and
my eyes became riveted upon the cor
ner nearest to me. On the margin of
the topmost paper were the prints Of
four fingers and thumb, made with
the butter with which the plates had
been creased before the candy was
poured into them. They were long,
tapering, shapely fingers. unquestion-
ably those of an artist.
The training of years asserted it.
self. tore away the corner Of the pa
per with the finger prints upon it and
slipped it into my pocket. could
| no more help doing this than water
| can help flowing down hill, for the
prints seemed duplicate of those l
SO well remembered upon the wrapper
OF the unused plate we had captured
in the cigar stamp case. / was dis
gusted with myself, but instinct is
stronger than will sometimes, and this
was such a case.
Il left the boat as soon as could
| conveniently get away. The desire
| was strong upon me to destroy the pa
per which nestled guiltily and accus-
ingly in my side pocket, but could
not.
ION my return to Washington /
secured the wrapper with the finger
prints and compared them with the
grease marks on the bit of newspaper.
sufficient. The same hand had made
both. l was staggered, sick at heart,
| and Disguised with the world and
life and people, more especially with
myself.
my first impulse was to make
clean breast of it all to the chief, but,
on second thought, decided not to
do so until l had made an investiga-
ton on my own account. / secured a
leave of absence and went to the city
where the cigar stamp fraud had been
perpetrated. Here l learned much
| that disconnected me. Mrs. Cameron,
whose maiden name I had not heard,
had lived there and had had her
studio there. The bankers trust
company had been her guardian, the
executor of her fathers will She
had lived in stately old mansion,
near the home of the bank president,
with maiden aunt. The aunt had
died while the niece was abroad, and
found that the time of the departure
of the niece had been consonant with
] the exposure and arrest of the coun-
terfeiters
There was no doubt that Mrs.
Cameron had executed the plates from
which the bogus cigar stamps had
been printed. Whether she had known
the criminality of her act have never
learned. 1 have always hoped that she
did not, and finally have come to be-
| lieve it. What representation the
banker made to her when he had her
execute the plates will never be
known. He died in prison of heart
failure just about the time I made
| these discoveries.
This is the only time 1 have ever
broken faith with the service. could
not deliver Mrs. Cameron to the mer-
CHESS law courts, guilty or innocent.
| My sentimentality would not let me-
1t may have been wrong, but 1 have
never regretted my action in this
case. If it were to do over again /
should follow the same course. What
do you think of it? What would you
have done under the circumstances"
Copyright, 1909, by w. G. Chapman.)
Copyright in Great Brittany