The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-05-20
BY SPEciAL
MESSENGER
An Errand That M Unsx.
psctsd sssak
sy wAa'wo M'rcHslL.


On that certain TUESDAY morning
when Colonel Graves got ready to start
for the city from bis country place he
said to his daughter Winnie:
.It N oos.,b,s that / ,nas want thos.
tocd. mi. .e,srnoo, ana No..
= 49, 49, r., -. ~
= '-e Hes " we S "''e T"
oav. Tue" ~" emo So' no'e oy
pec'a' messenger.
The coionei was someth1ng OF law
ger. specu'ator snd orcker. and Miss
Winnie was his nin4teen-year-old
daughter. She acted ~ ~ amanuehsis
at home and was pretty samiliar With
his business tfansacuons. The bonds
spoken Of had face value OF $4,000.
but Of late had been rstber wsbbly In
the market and had caused the colonel
considerable anxiety. All o'clock that
afternoon he wanted the bonds AID
telephoned bis daughter 70 that effect.
saying that be would sepd a messen-
ger. Instead Of sending boy from the
regular service. be stepped into the
ONCE Of Jones next door and said
''Jones. want trusty Fellow to run
out to my house and bFlug me back
some bonds. Haven't I noticed young
man around here?"
"Yes. He's q nephew Of mine. He's
out now. but write a line and I'll send
him when he returns. He ought to 90
out to East Park and back In an hour"
The colonel wrote lineto Miss Win
ME to deliver the bonds 10 bearer and
then went out on ''the stfeet" on bust
ness. Fifteen minutes later Jones
nephew was making foe the Grand
Central station AZ fast a. the express
in the subway would carry him
Jones hadn't given the young mans
biography. but IL may be stated that
his name was vincent cray. his age
tventv.two ana he wa in the once
OF his uncle to learn the devious wsyr
of wall street before setttug up in bud.
meas for himself on the conform biz
fortune ,eft him nv : decessed aunt.
For q Young man who expected u
emma IN contact With bulls and beafu
ana other .nimais. youne Grav vsr
verv trustfu, of human nature. For n.
sta nee. while his train was speedinG
aIonr underneath the streets ana n
~. handing "a : str,p thinking oi
things financial 4 youne man With
ambitions leaned AGAINST him and
nIcked h,s nocket without exciting thu
least suspicion.
The light fingered youth found there
onlv a carlcase ana the letter to Miss
winnie. hut thev were sufIcient tc
bring about several unlocked for re-
sults. He possed into another car and
opened and reod the letter. and ne 81 v
the golden opportunitv he had beer
long looking for. In the cardcase wer,
two or three dollar hills. The thief haf
n right 10 infer that his victim had M
more money about him. He ukewis.
had n right TO infer that young Graz
could not produce the wherewithal {,
buy ticket for East Park. The far,
was only 20 cents. but without It ,
man IA as badly or as II the sum
were Is
There was train ready to leave
The thief bought his ticket and go
aboard. Vincent Gray stood at tn
ticket window and fused and tumble,
and was left His cardcase and none
were gone. and when he found that tn
letter had also taken wings he realizes
that he was In trouble He hadn'
even nickel to get back to the Office
He hadn't the wherewtthal to tele
phone to his uncle Jones In New street
ana after wasting fifteen minutes try
Ing to figure out the problem he mad
hsste to a pawnshop. where he pu
down his watch for s..
The next train to East Park was te
minutes late in starting and the sam
In reaching the Park. so there were !
all dfty minutes lost. The young ma
had not suspected that be was the VII
tim Of a plckpocket. but supposed b
had lost his property In the jam Will
boarding the car. He had been tol
that Z telephone message would pr
cede him. and he had remembered tt
address. Therefore he did not worr
| m much over the loss OF the letter.