Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-04-22

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time, for he was about to be married.
MacKnight's love came at first sight
He had made flying trip abroad thu
summer before, had seen an American
girl in the Kursaal in Lugano, Sw1tzer
land, had followed her TO Lucern'
and had secured an introduction Aft
er two weeks going about In The
same party he became engaged TO be-
and the day after his engagement was
obliged to leave her at Montreux Il
catch a steamer for America.
His fiancee, Miss Leona Denton, re
NAMED abroad three months longer
Her home was in different city from
that of MacKnight. and since he was
very closely confined to business the
lovers saw very little of each other.
Therefore when he succeeded in ar
ranging for a wedding to take place In
the near future he was made very
happy man.
Consent that their daughter should
| ally herself with a man of whom she
had seen so little and about whose an
| tecedents so little was known was
| given by Miss Denton's parents with
reluctance. MacKnight had been able
| TO give no information about his fam
! lily. had not relative that he had ever
seen, and his statements about his
childhood were conflicting. The truth
was that the poor fellow was found
ling. he knew he was a founding and
shrank from admitting the fact. New
ertheIess he finally did so to his fan
Gee But she who had come to love
him with as much fervor as he loved
her did not dare to communicate the
fact to her parents lest they insist
upon her breaking off the match. Con
sequently he was to be married with
this secret kept by himself and Miss
Denton from those who mad right to
know il.
MacKnight reached the city where
the Dentons lived too late to see his
fiancee till morning. Before going to
bed he sat smoking in the lounging
room of the hotel where he stopped. 1t
was not a first class house by any
means, He had chosen it because it
was the only hosiery that was not at
a considerable distance from the Den
tons. While he was smoking a man en-
tered the room and looked about him
uneasily. His gaze fell upon Mac
knight. and he seemed surprised. Mac
knight was also surprised. Between
the two men there was striking re-
semblance. Their complexion, hair.
height. build were the same. Their
clothes We're entirely different. Mac
knights being plain, those of the other
6ashy.
The man passed out of the room, and
soon after mcknight went upstairs
and to bed.
He was awakened by a knocking at
his door. Rising, he opened it, and
there stood a couple of policemen
They entered the room and directed
MacKnight to dress himself. He asked
what it all meant, but the only infor-
nation he received was that he was
wanted for various offenses. There be-
ing nothing for him to do except to
obey, he turned to chair on which he
had left his clothes and began putting |
them on. He was so ratified that he did |
not for few moments notice that the |
clothes were not those he had taken Off /
Then he saw that the suit was the ex-
act counterpart of the one worn by the |
man he had seen in the lounging room. |
Gradually it came into his head that |
this person had been hunted by the po-
lice and, having noticed the resem-
blance between himself and MacKnight, |
had conceived the idea of throwing the
officers on falsesscent. The supposed |
criminal could easily have learned the
number of his room, opened the door
with a skeleton key when all in the
house were asleep, purloined Mac
knights clothes and left his own in
heir place.
Holding up the suit he was ordered
% put on, MacKnight gave the police
men the above explanation. They look
ID at each other as much as TO say,
Have we been fooled?" Then. with
nut even consulting. they ordered Mac
Knight to put on the clothes, first TAX
ne the precaution to go through the
pockets, in which they found articles to
IDENTIFY the owner with a prominent
rfminal. The prisoner was taken to a
olice station and locked in a cell.
To be placed in such position only
few days before his expected we'd
ing was, to say the least, distressing.
iacKnight, who had had no expert
nee in criminal law, did not doubt
hat he could prove his identity as
DON as given an opportunity. What
e dreaded was that the episode would
trengthen the doubts concerning him
cid by his fiancee's parents and thas
ney would withdraw their consent TO
he marriage.
he spent u night of torture. and the ,
ext morning early sent for an at I
'rney. who assured him that he could
'cure an examination at once and. by :
wing bail for his appearance when =
lie case came to trial. he would be lib
'ated. This was done and before n,,on :
lie prisoner, having signed his own !
Ill bond. was released from custody. y
niiing a cab, he drove at once to his
ancee's. -
He had been expected much earlier.
nd his not coming had occasioned