The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-17
His Own
Counsel
By ALAN HINSDALE

1 am a mechanic, and my speciality is
safe locks. l was sent one day to
open the safe Of Aaron Farnsworth &
Co., the only person who knew the
combination being at the point of
death and 1t being necessary that GER
tain funds be got out. 1t is unwise to
force a safe lock If there is any other
way to open It, and l questioned those
for whom l was to DO the Job with
view to discovering If some one else
than the sick person knew the COM
bination. Edgar Sharpley, the assistant
Of Robert Wendell, the financial man
OF the concern, admitted that he had
known the combination. but had for
gotten 1t.
Thinking I might help him to remem-
Der 1t, l suggested that he make a
trial at recalling It by turning the knob.
He placed himself before the safe and
began to make the turns, but nothing
came to him. l listened for q sound
within the lock while he was doing so,
but failed to hear any indication of
anything dropping. He seemed to me
to be nervous, and l noticed that his
hand trembled.-
Failing to elicit anything from him,
went to work and in the course of
a couple Of hours opened the safe
There was no one In the room where
was when finished the job. and aft
F opening the safe door and shutting
1t went out into the main office to
report what had done. l returned
with the Junior partner, who was two
J or three yards behind me.
In a corner beside the dJor through
which entered was stationary wash
stand, over which hung a mirror. As
l passed into the safe room something
prompted me to glance aside. In the
mirror l saw a reflection of Sharpley.
He was standing with his hand on the
knob Of a door opposite the mirror
looking into the room. As l entered
he closed the door softly, thus shutting
himself out Of the room.
It was evident to me that he did not
know that was aware Of his pres
ence. This I knew, not only by the
/ expression Of his face, but by tho care
b took to make no sound In closing
the door behind him. However, I
thought little Of the matter. I had not
been out Of the room a minut, and
6harpley had been intrusted With tho
combination Of the lock. This indicat-
cd that no was trustworthy; indeed, II
he had wanted to take funds from the
safe he could have done It long ago.
turned the opened safe over to the
Junior partner, and. being told that
when my further services were wanted
1 would be sent for, gathered up my
tools and went away.
| That evening when l was sitting
down to supper with my wife and kids
two men came in and one Of them
showing the badge of a deputy sheriff,
arrested me. They not only searched
me, but searched the house. Aston
ished, l asked them what was the
charge against me, but they gave me
no answer. When they took me away
from my weeping wife and children
assured them that a mistake had been
made, and they had nothing to fear for
me. In going out caught sight Of my
troubled face in mirror in rack
standing in the hall.
The face Of Sharpley as l saw 1t
when he was about to shut the door Of
the safe room was recalled by my re-
Election. BY one Of those singular un-
defined connections in the train be-
tween incidents, saw an explanation
Of my arrest. 1t did not come to me
by degrees, but flashed upon me sud
denly, 1t was this:
Money had been missed from the
safe I had opened. Sharpley had taken
advantage Of my being at work on the
safe to extract funds and make it ap-
pear that l had been the thief. II
there was no evidence against me 9TH
er than my having had access to the
safe, there was none in my favor, for
my word that / had seen Sharpleys
reflection in mirror when he was
leaving the safe room would be worth
less.
l was locked up In default of bail
and during the night, instead of sleep
Ing. thought upon a plan of springlng
upon him that l had seen his reflection
In the mirror as he left the safe room.
In the morning l asked permission to
tell Aaron Farnsworth my story. l
was taken to his office and before be-
ginning my defense asked that the
whole office force be admitted to hear
1t. This of course included Sharpley,
When all were present / asked him
II he was not in the safe room when I
left 1t to announce that / had opened
the safe. He replied In the negative.
He stammered that he could not re-
member.
asked the partners to adjourn to the
safe room, and when there placed
Sharpley at the door as had seen him.
1t being partly open, with his hand
on the knob. Then asked Mr.. Farms
worth to enter the room from the main
office as l had entered 1t and glance
aside into the mirror as he came In. He
did so and saw Sharpley's image, now
pale as ghost, for he knew that I
had seen his reflection before he closed
the door.