The Washington times., 1916-06-06
Stories Of
Stories
CHEATING THE GALLONS.
by Israel Zangwill.

ToM PETER and Edward q. Rex
dial shared q suite Of rooms In
the (more or less) select London
lodging house OF Mrs. Seacon.
Peters wus d frowsy Bohemian who
picked UP some sort OF living by hack
literature
Roxdal was n scrurulously neat and
prosperous looking parsonage. and was
manager OF tho City and Suburban
Bank.
The two were scarce the sort who
might have been expected to form n
friendship for each other. Rut they
seemed to get on very we'll together;
perhaps because they were SO seldom at
homo at the Same time.
Their work hours were different. 10
were their hours for amusement,
Roxdal was engaged TO Clara Newell.
an heiress. Peters was better content
ca to ilirt with pcily. Mrs, seacon's
Tom and Miss Newell had never met,
ana the severely responsible Roxdal
was above flirting witt, chambermaids.
ali one ib day c RSSds nd dissspHsssrsd Sc dia
nveillble funds. During the search for
the missing man Clara and Peters
We're thrown often into each others So
Peters at onco fell IN love with his
lost chum's sweetheart But AZ time
went on and Roxdai did not rea ppenr,
s , gradually began te return Toms
At last they became engaged. The
date for their wedding was set.
TheN one niFht Clara dreamed q
strange and weird dream. She dreamed
that Everard RoSdal appeared before
Tom 0 Psssr. d hsS Killed M S told s Ssr
I'll MS money, and thrown his bod in
the Thames river.
~ The ,s, fris lIte9ed girl WINS 20 impressed
straight to the police with her story.
injected by her earEestness. the police
began to mako inquiries ubout Peters
Then in Toms absence from home, they
raided his suite of rooms.
There they found the treat sheaf OF
paper money stolen from the City and
The river was dragged. And a body
almost understandable. yet answering
to the description Of Roxdais-was re-.
covered.
Peters was arrested. put on trial, and
convicted of Roxdars murder.
In due time he was hanged.
After his death the following signed
confession was found among his efrocts:
II have been hanged for my own
murder. l am Evcrard q. Roxdal. !
am also Tom Peters. We two are one"
The confession went on TO say that
himself by studying. DISCUSSES and by
learning to enact a duel role.
When he had been appointed man
ager Of the City and Suburban Bank,
II had, occurred to him to make use OF
this gift to rob the bank in perfect
safety.
So he invented" Tom Peters.
The two supposed dodgers were never
seen together at Mrs. Seacon's.
Yet, SO cleverly had Roxdai imper-
sonated Peters that no one suspected
the two were one. -
Eventually Roxdal had robbed the
bank and had become Tom Peters ex-
81 made none Of the usual slips:v con-
tinued the confession. But no mar,
con guard against girls nightmare 2.
II might have told the Judge he was
an ass. But then ] should have had
penal servitude for bank ROBBERY.
And that Is worse than death.
THE only thing that puzzles me IN
whether the law has committed muir
der or suicide"
And the point Is one that may arouse
juries-amateur as well as professional
to discuss. In any case Roxdal 10
probably the only man in the worlds
history to be convicted and hanged
for his own murder.
(Copyright 1916