The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1911-06-23
A Neat Trick
By JEROME WILLIAMSON
Copyright by American Press Asso.
citation, 1911.

Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.
When railroads were first built the
ear was a string Of s~tagecoaches join
ed together. We in America at the
very beginning abandoned this form
and opened the car from end to end.
In Europe they still retain the stage
coach pattern. Their coaches are built
in compartments, though those on
through trains are connected by a pas
sage at one side. Their way trains
are the same as they were some
eighty years ago.
I was travelling one day in q way
train and locked in a compartment
with n other passenger, a young
woman. Soon after the train started
abe asked If she might smoke a ciga.
rette. When a compartment is used
for smoking over there they put up a
notice to that effect. I felt pleased
that she was a smoker herself, granted
her permission at once and drew fort
q cigar.
"You must first have q whi6 with
me-" she said, "then you may smoke
your cigar" She handed me an open
box Of cigarettes. "These are some
thing very fine. Try one"
I accepted the offer. The woman
turned away from me to put the box
back in the satchel from which she
had taken it and took a cigarette for
herself while her back was toward
me so that I couldn't see her doing 1t.
I lighted mine and as soon as I began
to smoke felt a delicious languor. I
should have suspected that something
was wrong and thrown the weed
away, but I was enraptured and o
fell into a delicious trance.
The woman kept her eyes On me and
presently asked me to hand her a nov
ell she had left on the seat beside me.
T couldn't move even a finger. She
had evidently expected as much and
had asked me to hand her the book to
see If I were able to do SO. As soon
as she was satisfied that I was power
less She took off her dress and hat and
threw them out Of the window. There
was a mans costume underneath the
dress, and 1t was evident that the pre-
tended woman was a man. He took q
felt hat out Of his bag and put it on,
then, taking a paper out Of his coat
pocket, he put it in mine.
All this was done between two sta
lions about ten miles apart, although
the train went pretty slow. When we
reached the second station the man
got out of the train, leaving me still
powerless. I was just as conscious OF
the situation as If I had not inhaled
the cigarette. I surmised that the
man was a criminal fleeing from JUS
tice and had put papers in my pocket
that would cause his pursuers to think
that I was the man they were looking
for. Why he wished them to think 50
fancied to be because they were hot
on the pursuit and he wished to gain
time by throwing them off the track.
The train seemed to be delayed in
starting again. 1t appeared to me that
it must be waiting for something
What was 10Y horror to see severa!
men come to the door Of the compart.
.nent led by the man who had drugged
me.
"That's the man, he said.
The effect of the cigarette had passed
off sufficiently to enable me to protest.
But the man interrupted me.
81 tell you,' he said to the others.
hes the notorious Cartouche, who q
day or two ago escaped the French
police. I saw him in court once and
knew him the moment he entered the
train. If you don't believe me search
him. He may have something that
will identify him On his person"
NV blood ran cold. I knew Of Gar
touche, who was under sentence Of
death. I was ordered out of the coach,
but rs I had not recovered the use ct
my limbs they were obliged to pull
me out. They. placed me on a baggage
roller and went through my pockets:
A letter addressed to Jaques Cartouche
was found on me. At that moment the
train pulled out and my accuser. jump.
ing on: the footboard. went of with It:
Twas taken to the town jail. On the
arrival Of the next train police officers
arrived The moment they saw mo
they knew they had been tricked.s i
] told themMmy story, and they knew
| by. my description Of my accuser that
he was .Cartouche himself. But the
train on which they came had gone
on and they were obliged to wait for
1.-The next to get on in the chase.
l considered myself lucky to escape
as easily as I did, for the police be
Meved my story, saying that 1t was
1ust like Cartouche. who had played
that and similar. games before.
By avery singular coincidence lsaw
Cartouche again, though some years
later. returned to America. On the
steamer I found the stern fenced OF
with canvas. There was an opening