The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-11-06

uau uoNcE Uccll q LII
q seafaring man and l
only few weeks. He gdne tree. oth
as Patrick Dugan and was a native or
Ireland.
When the trial came OF the prisoner
claimed that ON the date Of the theft |
or, rather, the sale Of the plunder to
the pawnbroker he was not In America
at all. The prosecuting attorney asked
him where lie was at that time. Be
fore replying he asked the date and
was reminded that the pawnbrOker's |
entry In his cash book of the payment |
for the goods he had purchased was
Aug Is. The prisoner scratched his |,
head thoughtfully, but could not re-
member where he was ON the date
named. He thought he was at sea,
but was not sure. Asked II he kept no
record that would prove his case, he
said that he didn't even know how to
write.
This statement threw doubt on his
accusers statement that he had palm
ed himself of as a merchant In re-
duced circumstances and gained SYM
pathy from the jury. Even the prose-
cutting attorney tried to help the poor
man to get evidence to prove his alibi.
III the captain of the Mark Hutchins
was here" said the prisoner. "he could
tell where l was on that day, for all
that summer was sartin with him."
where is the party" asked the pris-
| Oner's counsel.
HE was here for two weeks till
yesterday. seen him in the street
and tried to speak to him, but l lost
him In the crowd. seen by the pa
pers that his ship was to sail last night
when the tide served"
whats that yer sayin'T said one Of
the spectators. I'm cap'n Of the Mark
Hutchins, and I haven't sailed neither.
I sail tomorrow One o. my crew told
me that an old messmate. Pat Dugan,
was to be tried today for sellin' stolen
| goods. Dugan was a good man. and
| l thought Id come round and see II
| the man bein' tried was him. But that
feller isn't Pat Dugan. He's fraud
"Cap'n," cried the prisoner. almost In
tears, don't say that. I'm Pat Du-
gan sure enough I've cut my beard
since you saw me. Don't you remem-
Der that night when we was roundin'
| Cape Cod with the wind BLOWN a gale
| out o. the north and fo'castle covered
with ice and the main jib had to be
loweredT
"Are you the man that went out on
the bowsprit at the risk of slidin' over
board and lowered that jib"
"Why, sartin, cap'n. Don't go back
on me now. | stood by you and the
crew that awful night"
II reckon you did stand by me. That
was the bravest deed in my reckonin'.
It was purity nigh sure death. There
was nothin' but slippery Ice to hold
on to-"
"Let the witness take the stand"
said the attorney for the defense. The
captain having been sworn the lawyer
proceeded to question him.
"Was the prisoner member Of your
crew In the summer Of 19-r'
HE was"
where was your ship on the 18th
of August OF that yearT
"Well, now. II you'd asked me where
| was on the 1st of that month or the
last of It | couldn't have told you with
out lookin' over the log. But l can
never forget the middle Of that month
Of that year. We run aground on the
coast Of Africa and couldn't get on. A
party of cutthrOat niggers came or in
boats to murder us and take the ship
before the tide rose and let US on. Pat
Dugan there suggested that we fight
'em with hot steam from the boilers.
He took one hose and the other. We
beat 'em off, and II 1t hadn't been for
Pats suggestion we'd have all been
heaved overheard as dead men,"
The prisoner was the center Of the
admiring vision of the court and spec
tators He bore his honors modestly,
and no one would have taken him for
hero had it not been for the witness
story. The jury acquitted him without
leaving their seats.
A few days later a policeman, who
had been OH duty In court at the trial.
saw the captain of the Mark Hutchins
and the man for whom he had proved
an alibi getting into an automobile.
The policeman had seen the owner get
out OF it and. suspecting that some
thing was wrong stopped them. They
were tried for attempted theft and
sent NJ for a term Of years Thes
were both old crooks.