The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-05-08
Case Of IDon't
Remember !. J.
By NJ. QUAD ~; ],
Copyright. 1914. BY Associated Lit--
erary Press. ~

/ liz - = ii
I'M Copyright. 1914, BY Associated Lit-
~ er1ry Press. ~ ~
James, Shine wasYsixteen years old
| when he started out one morning to 60
fishing. It was a walk Of a mile to the
lake, and between the village and the
lake ran a railroad.
The youth ranked with the best for
smartness, both mental and physical.
and was in the best Of health and
spirits the morning he set out with his
fishing tackle. What happened before
he got there vas told by the engineer
Of a freight train. One at the crossing
could see the trains while they were
yet forty rods away, and no accident
had ever happened there.
On this occasion. as the train ap-
preached, the engineer saw young
Shine kneel. down on the track, to tie
his shoe. A whistle Of warning was
sounded. and, in fact. the whtstle; was
kept going until the pilot Of the engine
struck the boy and threw him q full
nifty feet.
Young Shine was picked up for. dead.
but he wasn't dead. He was nowhere
hear 1t. He hadn't a broken bone and
only one big bruise. He seemed as
good as ever physically in a fortnight.
but there vas a great change in him
mentally.
You have read OF a person. being
"knocked silly?" Well, the boy had 80
suffered. There wasn't a hurt on his
head. but his memory was gone. He
didn't know who he was, and he could
not remember any one else. It was a
form Of aphasia with a curious fea-
ture about It. His mother would say
to him:
James, your name is James Shine"
Eyes. 1t ia James. Shine" he would
reply.
Five minutes later If asked his name
he would reply that it was Peter Jones
or something else. Il
At the. age Of twenty James Shine
got lost. He was sent to a sawmill
half a mile away. and in some way he
got turned around and walked out into
the country. It was a year before he
was heard of again. He had made. his
way to a. point a hundred miles away
and hired out to a widow as q farm
hand and. after a few months married
her. He had given her q dozen differ
ent names as his right one.
When the widow was reproached
with having married q young man
only half her age and one plainiy,oR in
his head she replied:
"Well. Il thought. 1t would;be q good
thing to get married again. and. l tell
you. he is the best worker ! ever had
ON the farm" 81,
No effort was made to get the yoa4|}Shtig
man away. as he seemed quite cohteht
there. but one day he walked of with
ont. a word to any one and brought. up
in a town 200 miles away. BE. got
work in a .brickyard, giving, still other
names. One day his name was Davis.
the next Barnes. the next Meadows.
and 40 it went, OF course people won
dered about 1t. and the police investd-
gated him. but ;is he was a good work
er and never made any trouble he was
not interviewed with.
.Aftcr~a few months and under. the
name Of Bird young Shine married an
other widow. This one had five chill
dren. and when taken to task for her
capture she. replied:
= Iss?noticed he was rather queer sin
the, head. but l guess all men are that.
Do you think a widow with five chill
dren to clothe and feed is going to
turn a would be husband down Just
because he appears to be a bit dotty?'
The wives had a row over the one
husband, and the husband moved on.
He went about forty miles away and
obtained work in a planning mill and In
less than four months; wal married TO
his third widow. He had started In
with a widow and had a preference for
that class. He had lived with No. :
about four months when Nos. l and :
came down on him. He was arrested
and tried as a bigamist. but before his
trial had taken place he broke out Ut
JAIL and made. a long skip and went to
work in a livery stable. Here he gave
twenty different names in twenty9days.
and many people thought him q fugi-
live from justice. but as he was quiet.
and Industrious he was not bothered.
There was only one widow In the
town, but in a few months she had
been sought out and courted and mar
sled. After a bit No. 4 heard about the
others and had the bigamist Jailed.
This time he went to trial. When ask
ed on the stand If young Shine had
seemed a sensible. rational person to
her she replied: g.
II can't say he did"
sBut you. married him?"