The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1910-05-13
Complicated
Case
." -
The Man Who Was Accused Of
Having Murdered Himself.
By CUTHBERT BAKER.
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.

l am an unfortunate man.
| committed a crime in my life. never
even did Il dishonest act, and yet l am
in jail accused Of murder. This may
not be astonishing. for many an inno-
cent man has not only been accused of
but has been hanged for murder. but
what is remarkable in my case is that
I am accused Of numbering myself.
Perhaps this. isn't quite clear. If it
isn't. it is either because the case IS a
very complicated M or l am not in a
ft condition of mind to make it clear.
The only way to unravel the matter so
that it can be understood is to tell the
story from the beginning.
Twelve years ago l came to Mertford,
a young man of twenty-five, to look for
a job. had no funds, and, not get
| ting q position ut once, l ran In debt to
my landlady. A month passed, and l
had found nothing to do. My landlady
told me that If l didn't pay up by the
next Saturday night she would have
me arrested for a common vagrant and
swindler.
That same day while walking about
looking for a job ! met a man on the
street who looked so much like me
that l stared at him as we passed.
He turned and said:
"You must be q kin of mine. You
look enough like me to be my own
brother"
sEyV1,0fsc ,nyys = n ~ asked
civilian Higgins"
Il am Nicholas Van Winkle."
We couldn't trace any relationship,
but he asked me into q beer saloon.
where we pursued that and other
subjects. He was an ~insinuating fell
low and won my confidence so far
that l told him Of my financial trou-
BILE. What did he do but whip out a
roll of new. crisp bills and invite me
to help myself. | demurred at incur
ring obligations to u stranger, but he
insisted and finally literally forced
upon me four ten.dollar bills. saying
that he was sure from the likeness
between us we had sprung from a
common stock and he didn't propose
that any kinsman of his should suffer
so long as he had plenty Of money. l
asked him for his address that ! might
return the loan after getting a posi-
ton. He put his hand on my Shout
der and said. II won't tell you. lest
you rob yourself to pay me before you
are ready" With that he went out
somewhat suddenly and left me very
-n..zl -.,un~S,1J n< oil <t,nt h01 m
Cured.
The only thing to do was to consider
the episode a piece Of good luck. and.
going to my landlady. l gave her
three of the bills. keeping the other
for current necessities. which I pur-
chased Immediately.
The next day a policeman came to
the house and produced a warrant for
my arrest. The charge was passing
counterfeit money. and the accuser
was a druggist of whom l had bought
a toothbrush and from whom l had
received change for u ten dollar bill.
OF course the generosity of my new
found friend was now perfectly plain
to me. l didn't know and don't know
now what he expected to gain by the
transaction unless he hoped to use me
later. My landlady on seeing ME
marched away by a policeman under
a charge Of passing counterfeit money
took the bills l had given her to her
bank. where they were pronounced
spurious. When l was brought up for
examination both she and the drug
gist appeared against me. l told q
straight story. but without effect.
\ Counterfeit bills had been showed into
circulation. and the police had been
looking for tire shower. was held
for trial aud upent six weeks in Jail.
Then I was tried. AS there WAS no
of counterfciters. ! was acquitted and
released.
But one thought absorbed me-to get
even with the man who had played
the trick on me that had kept me six
weeks in IL horrible cell and ruined
me in the place where l had intended
to settle. ] walked the streets hoping
to meet him till | was so weak from
hunger that couldn't walk any
longer. then gave It up. But all the
while l was thinking Of a plan for
revenge. At last l concocted n that
might catch the counterfeiter and pun
ish him for something more than
breaking the government money laws.
I went to a wood in the outskirts of
the town and to Il tree pinned a piece
Of paper on which ! had written in a
trembling hand that ! was about to be
murdered by a man who had forced
me to pass counterfeit money. ! hav-
ing threatened to put the police on to
him and his gang. described the
man who had given me the spurious
bills. In doing so Of purse I de-
scribed my own personal appearance.
but ] didn't care for that. for I pro-
posed to disappear from the place and
play dead. Having taken this the
only means I could think Of to gain
my revenge. I converted myself into a
tramp and did not stop moving until
Ind gone. some l.2M inilps from the
town where ! had had 40 much trOu-
bic. Al flnp end Of my tramp I found
n ,luli who gave rle q !t:b. and I re-
joicrsi thar az last had reached a
l. A.. ..L ~ A.SrA - or EN