The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1913-04-19
The q f.
SABLE ~
By
HORACE
HAZELTINE

- 4~0A l. - VI
nothing else whatever. 1t dominated
the drawing. It fairly sprang at me
from out the printed page.
There was still another feature Of
the revelation. however. which held a
contrasting pathos The letter which
carried conviction beyond all possible
dispute was from Donald McNish's
aged mother. And while 1t tempered
In a measure the harshness Of my
judgment against the son. 1t was OF
tragic import, in that 1t was one po-
tent piece Of evidence in his undoing.
severing the last link in the chain
which connected his identity with that
Of the shamefully maligned Cameron.
Evelyn wept over this letter. and
am not sure but that my own sight
grew hazy. too. as l read the fond.
quantity couched phrases OF endear-
ment. penned half a year back in Dun
dee. by this God-fearing old Scotch
woman. to that Infamous. blood-stained
''ain bonnie BARN"
1t all came out, eventually. that Nc
Nish had travelled the world over IN
the sixteen years Intervening since the
coolie massacre. employing score or
more OF aliases and 20 studiously
avoiding the name by which he had
then been known, as to have almost
forgotten it, probably, himself. until,
yielding to the call Of home, he had at
some early period OF the last twelve
month returned for a brief visit to his
native town and his septuagenar1an
mother.
1t was then, most likely. that he
gave to her the address Of the New
York hotel. Fate Influenced the moth
er to write. and Fate sent the son
there six months later to get the let
ter and SO carry upon his person the
confirmatory evidence Of his identity.
just at the time when 1t would prove
fatal
How did 1t happen" have been
asked. that you didn't examine imme-
diately the clothes that the supposed
Cameron wore. when you found him ?"
In view Of subsequent events 1t Is
very easy to see what an important
bearing such an examination would
have had. But at the time. there was
no one who thought of it. Our chief
purpose then was to get the injured
man to bed. and to secure a physician
and nurse to minister to his recovery.
II he had been found dead. then, OF
course, We should have Cleaned what
information we could from his pockets.
But we daily expected him to be able
to tell his own story. and in the anx-
iety and confusion of the moment the
possible pregnancy of the disclosures
that lurked in his apparel was entire
ly lost sight OF.
When we did make the examination.
on the morning following the episode
of the letter. 1t was to discover that
the suit and overcoat worn by McNtsh
were of Scotch manufacture. having
been made in Dundee, according to
sewn-in labels. early in the current
year.
The contents Of the pockets were
not significant. The letter he had
been so anxious to secure and destroy
was the only letter, apparently, he had
carried. There was a cheque-book on
a Chicago bank, and there was a wal
let containing a small sum of money
in bills. and few business cards of
importing houses. which we took to
indicate that the possessor was still
desultorily engaged in trade, or some
species Of smuggling, with the Malay
states and the Straits settlements as
his field, since most of the cards made
reference to goods Of such origin.
That morning, which succeeded the
night OF exciting events already de-
tailed, was crowded with another sue
cession Of happenings scarcely less
sensational.
At seven o'clock, O'Hara, In obedi-
ence to my instructions came to my
room in the Loyalton, rousing me out
Of heavy sleep; for had not got to
bed until four, and then had lain
awake with teeming brain until after
five. l received him in bath robe and
moles, sitting on the bedside, and SIP
ping coffee, while he, perched on a
low, brass bound clothes chest. poured
forth his story.
"Sleep!' he echoed, when had
made my apologies. Il haven't had a
wink, myself. I've been with the boys
all night doing as pretty roundup
as you ever see. We've got the bunch
right this time, Mr.. Clyde, and there'll
be a clearin' out down there in China
town such as hasn't been known since
the Chinks discovered Doyers street"
YES" said. encouragingly.
Its another war of the tongs," he
went on. They have 'em periodically.
you know, and there's always a few Of
the moon-faced boys snuffed out. which
amt much loss nohow. But this time
they interfered, you see, with you and
Miss Grayson. and they beat up that
driver of our buzz-carriage something
fierce; and the Commissioners issued
orders to put the whole yellow popula-
ton on the pan II necessary to get the