The Cairo bulletin., 1911-05-20
A Neat Trick
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BY JEROME WILLIAMSON
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, ISL

car was Il siring of staeecoaches join
ed together We in Aneriea at tie
very beginning abandoned this form
ard opened the car from end 70 end.
In Europe they still retain the stage
coach pattern. .Their coaches are built
in compartments. though those on
through trains are connected py a pas
sage at one 9Me. Their way trains
are the sane as they wee some
eighty years ago.
was travelling one day in a way
train and locked in compartment
with one other passenger, a yoE1g
woman. Soon after tie train started
she asked if she might smoke Il ciGa-
rctte. When compartment is used
for sroHing over taere they p-t UP
na.iee to taut ERECT felt pleased
that u. Tns y smoker herself, granted
hcr rt -issloa 1t Jncc and drew forth
a gar
'Il'ou m,'st FIRST have a Whit with
me-" she SAIL, 'fhen YOU may smoke
your cigar Sic handed me- an open
box Of cigarettcs These are some
thing very fne Try one"
I accepted the offer The woman
trrned away from me to put the box
hack IN the satchel from which she
h 4 taken it and took Il cigarette fer
herself while her back was toward
gne So that couldn't see her doing it.
| lighted mine and rs soon rs | began
to smoke felt delicious languoR |
should have suspected that something
was wrong aud thrown the weed
away, but was enraptured and soon
fell into delicious trance.
The woman kept her eyes on me and
presently asked me to hand her nov
81 she had left on the seat beside NE
+ couldn't move even finger. She
had evidently expected as much and
had asked me 70 hand her the book to
see IL ! were able 10 do so. As soon
as she was satisfied that I was power
less she took off her dress an& hat and
threw them out OF the window. There
was mans costume underneath the
dress, and it was evident that the pre-
tended woman was man. He took a
felt hat flt Of his bag and putt on,
then, taking a paper out of his coat
pocket, he put it In mine.
All this was done between two sta
tons about ten miles apart, although
the train went pretty slow. When we
~, IA stYtf hA
got out of the train. leaving me still
powerless | was just as conscious OF
the situation as If L 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 l was the man they were looking
for. Why he wished them TO think so
I fancied to be because they, were hot
on the pursuit and he wished to gain
time by throwing them of the track.
The train seemed to be delayed in
starting again. 1t appeared 70 me that
1t must be waiting for something.
What was my horror to see several
men come to the door of the compart-
ment 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 a
day or two ago escaped the French
police. / saw him in court once and
knew him the moment be eptered the
train. If you don't believe me search
him. He may have something that
win Identify him on his person"
My blood ran cold. l knew Of Car
touche, who was under sentence Of
death. was ordered out Of the coach,
but as had not recovered the use of
my limbs they were obliged to.Nnull
me out. They~placed me on baggage
roller and went through my pockets.
A letter addressed to Jacques Cnrtouche
was found on me- At that moment the
train pulled out and my accuser, jump
ing on the footboard, went Off with it.
was taken to the town Jail. On the
arrival of the next train police officers
arrived. The moment they saw me
they knew they had been tricked.
told them my 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
the next to get on in the chase.
/ considered myself lucky TO escape
as easily as did, for the police be.
lieved my story, saying that it was
just like Cartouche, who had played
that and similar games before.
BY very singular coincidence saw
Cartouche again, though some years
later. returned TO America. On the
steamer | found the stern fenced Of
with canvas. There was an opening
between the canvas and an after cabin
through which could look into, that
portion of the deck which had been
fenced off for the use of the steerage
passengers. While looking through
this aperture who should I see but a
man whom / Immediately recognized
as Cartouche.
was sorry ! had seen him, for felt
It incumbent on me to prevent his
landing In America. Had he been going
the other way l should have ,held my