Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1910-08-12
z:
STIMSON- F.. :
CONOVER
I
By MARTHA v. MONROE .
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.

nCAAO, otAAASOA, Su4U INC 6cI8SaIuL
"You turned up again: haven't seen
you for 50 long that thought you'd
reformed"
I'm not Stimson,' replied the man
who was dressed in working costume.
land I've never been here before"
'"Take him in
The next morning the case came ui.l
before the court. There had been q
burglary in Ben Warfeld's store. War
field had entered his place of business
with light and cornered a man rob-
bling his cash drawer The robber
knocked him down and ran. The store
keeper got up, followed, called police
man, and together they made chase.
Warfeld in court testified that while in
pursuit of the fugitive he had turned
and walked toward them. Undoubted-
ly knowing he would be captured, he
hoped to go by them unrecognized But
Warfield had got good look at him
in his store by the light he carried and
knew him at once. The rest of the
evidence against the prisoner was fur
nished by picture in the rogues gal
lery which, though it was not a fat
tering likeness, was near enough like
him, taken with Warfeld's evidence, to
convict him.
The prisoner claimed that ne was
John Conover. workman in a foun-
dry. His employers superintendent
was called to the stand and testified
that the man. under the name of Con-
over, had gone to work for the concern
a week before. claiming that he had
not been employed for some months.
That was all the witness knew about
him.
Being an old offender. Stimson was
sent to the penitentiary for seven
years. Before he started his wife came
to see him, acting Historically and de-
claring that she and her children were
starving This only confirmed the YER
dict, though it excited sympathy. No
one ever heard of Stimson having had
a wife and family. But the case was
decided, and there is too much work
before the courts except in the cases of
those who have money to pay lawyers
and costs for little matter like that
to attract even attention.
One night three years later a man
was brought into the same sergeant as
had received Stimson, whereupon the
sergeant. who was a facetiOus man.
said:
"Hcllo. Stimson! You here again?
haven't seen you for so long that I
thought youd reformed"
I'm not Stimson. My names Con-
over"
well l like that. I'd know thatI
mug of yours among thousand.
We've got you in the gallery. Butt
what did you say about being
"Conover?"
"Yes-Conover. It seems to me the
names familiar. Now l remember all
about it. The last time you came in
here you tried the racket Of mistaken
identity; said your name was Conover.
But hold on. You were sent up for
seven years. You couldn't get out this
early on good behavior When did you
break jail?'
sergeant" said the prisoner, chang
ing his tone, Il was clingin' to
straw, and that remarkable memory Of
yours has broke it. Three years ago
you sent up an innocent man who look
ed like me, and this time | was think
in might possibly get off by claimin'
to be him. But it won't work"
The sergeant looked at the man,
greatly puzzled.
did you do the burglary Conover
was sent up for?" he asked.
Yes, l done it. They chased me,
and all of a sudden heered 'em stop.
The next day l sor in the Grim news in
the paper that a bloke as looked like
me was took. He's doin' my time now.
If you wasn't on to it I'd "a tried to
prove was him. No credit to the way
you cops work things that l didn't.
Your memory foored me-
The real Stimson went up, and in
time the real Conover came down. One
night he walked into the station and
stood before the sergeant. He was not
recognized. Maddened by his impris-
onment for an offense he had not CON-
mitted, deprived of the power to work
for his wife and children, he had at
tempted to escape. was caught and had
been treated with unusual severity.
No wonder the sergeant didn't know
him. He had aged in appearance twen-
ty years.
"Who are you?' asked tie sergeant.
John C0nover:'
Used as he WAS to the hard side Of
life, the sergeant started.
Are you sure I'm not Stimson?"
II had nothing to do with YOUR case:
the court did it, You were unfortunate
in looking like iaibird'
II came to say +u2t while I've been
in jail my two little ones have died for
want of proper attention. My wife
still lives. If this were not so you
would go after my children"
The man walked out, and the ser
geant wiped the sweat from his brow
with his coat cuff. lie knew by Con.
overs look that only life stood be-