The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-04-07
The Man Who
Was Fixed
By ALAN HlNSDALE

Tie war between the staies-l went Ia
Kentucky. Kentucky had been a slave
state. and there were a number of
negroes who had been freed These
were thrown on their own resources,
and many Of them had hard time to
make living
One day missed some clothing from
my room. and the Janitor Of the build
Ing In which ! lodged disappeared at
the same time. The police were set I'm
motion to tind the janitor-pete Mar.
tin. They succeeded, and he was
brought to trial. being his accuser
He was convicted and sent to state
/ prison for two years
Soon after his conviction received n
! call from his former master. who said
that II had been reported to him by
! Fetes associates that as soon as he got
out or prison he would Fix" me for
I having sent him up The gentleman
! also told me that the convict was the
/ only slave he had ever owned of whom
he was afraid Misery loves company.
and my misery was lightencd by being
told that Pete had threatened to fix"
the judge who sentenced him as well
as his accu>er | thanked the gentle.
man for his warning and told him that
| would be on my guard.
Nevertheless when the time OF dan
ger came | forgot all about the matter
! had made II memorandum OF the date
or expiration of the couvitts term
but. learning that they all get time OF
for good behavior. | had considered
the memorandum worthless and put II
away. forgetting IL 1t happened that
In looking over some old memoranda
Kept In piaconhoie uf my desk | hit
upon the date of pcie's release ON the
very day bis fun time expired
Throwing II into waStcbasket. !
put the matter out of NV mind But
II came back again that night when !
was In bed ubout 70 20 10 sleep Sup
pose should awaken 10 the middle of
the night ana see the powerful figure
OF the negro standing over me I"ould
not get rid Of this dread and the next
uay purchased revuver. loaded II
and placed 1t under my pillow.
One morning on tnkin, up my paper
| saw that Judge Mou,arue who had
sentenced Pete had been "alled to his
door at 10 o'clot L at night and shot
through the heart by a man who had
Disappeared without hayin. been seen
by any one except his victim The nc
count given indicated that not the
.u.... ccw TO the murderer was IN
the hunJs " tL -
! went t. tho sia,.s .n,.o IN
fold him ~ s'ori Iip ~ =. ),
CURED o! tie warden Of the prison a..
whicE Pete mad been confined and
time for COED behavior. bet had been !
released on the expiration ~ the term
for which he had been sentenced. II
was considered probable by the nttor
ney and by me that Pete WIS the
judges murderer and equally probable
AK" me us well
The police were instructed 10 look
for rcte. but not to give Publicity to
the fact that he was wanted or that
there was any clew to Judge Monta-
gues murde. er AS for me. ! was to
take every possible means TO he rendy
for Pete should he carry out his threat
concerning me The chief ~ police
wished to send man To sleep In my
house. but I concluded that this would
he more trouble than Il was worth
got out my revolver. which ! had dis
carded, saw that II was In orIer aud
loaded and had a telephone apparatus
placed on n table beside my bed
One night after all In the house were
asleep there came a ring al my door
bell | telcphoned the police by pre-
vious arrangement that ! was being
called up late at night. then went To
window and called out that ! would
come down as soon as ! could get oD
some clothes few minutes after
my telephone message the policeman
near my house was AT my door Bur
whoever had rung had disappeared
III my visitor was Pete he did not
come again Several months passed
NituOut NV DtiilS ubtcs'tu. uhh "uo
beginning 10 think that Pete had con
cluded that II would lie wiser FOR him
to forego his revenge upon me when
one night I was a wakened by the hasb
OF q dark lantern In my eyes be
lieved there we're burglars In the
house, Taking the telephone instru
ment under the cover to deaden the
sound. I called "Policer' giving my
street aud number
knew that there wound he no waste
OF time by the police. and ! hoped by
remaining quiet the burglars would go
on doing their work Al the same
time. Selling my revolver. ! slid noise
lessly out % tied aud. feeling my way
to q closet. left the door sjar so that
| could see out I had not bee> there
long before heard tread In the hail.
then footsfens auproac ching nv bed 1