New-York tribune., 1921-03-20
THERE 1t ay smooth and crisp and fat-G yellowback
for-yes-taOenty thousand dollars


me the time. 1t may take five or ten
minutes. I want to ask sort of
favor Of you."
"Oh, we'll, go ahead!" said Ran
dolph, glad enough Of. anything to
take his thoughts off himself. sit
down. What's the matter?"
The man drew up chair and
seated himself. His hands trembled
a little, and every now and then he
gave twitch as if he had St.
Vitus dance.
Thanks" he said. II don't want
to make no false pretenses. I'm an
oldtimer-an ex-convict. Name
Titan. l served three and a half
years for burglary. say / was
jobbed, but that has nothin' to do
with it. l got it in the neck all
right" He gave a jerk with his
! shoulders. "I'm not goin' to bother
you with that: amt here about
myself. When I got out six months
ago l found my wife had been put
cut of her rooms, with my two kids,
and had to walk the streets all night
in the rail-" - he gulped down a
dry sob. "Well, anyway, she was
awful sick, and SO was one Of the
kids and there was nothin' doin' in
my trade, and no one would have me,
anyway! I hammered the sidewalks
lookin' for work for weeks.
couldn't find thing! l was up
against it for fair. Then Katie's
brother, Tom, who had been Iivin'
with US and helped support her while
was in prison, lost his job because
he crushed his hand in a pulley.
"Well, for almost week. he went
on, Il watched my wife begin to
starve. Then made up my mind.
as had got settled for a crime |
wasn't guilty of, might as we'll
commit one to even up. I'd learned
a lot up in Sing Sing, and went to
hangout and borrowed a jimmy
and touched fiat for about $500
worth Of silver. Gee! How easy il
was! Now, here's the funny part.
I'd forgot to tell 'em was goin' any,
where, and Tom was out in the street
lookin' for me. When ! came up he
grabbed my bundle with his good
hand, not KNOWN what was in it, to
give me lift. Just at that minute
cop stepped out of doorway and
nabbed us. Say, that was good
one, now, wasn't it? Wife and kid
sick. brother with busted hand, and
me and him collared with the goods!
Does crime pay? Does it pay? No,
it don't! But suppose you amt got
no choice? | amt no anarchist. hut
sonletimes"-
Il know" said Randolph sympa-
thetically. "Have cigar?"
"Ehw said the man. "sure I
will"
Titan took the weed and lit it
tremblingly.
Go on," said Randolph. "Tell me
about Tom and Katie
"Well, to make long story Short"
said Titan, when Tom found what
he was in for, he insisted on takin'
the blame and goin' up for it. God.
What could | do? was the only
one in the bunch that wasn't sick.
had my hands, at any rate. Tom
didn't. Katie was pretty near all in.
We talked it all over, and didn't
want to at first. You see, Id done
one bit without deservin' it. But
Tom said that was one reason why
1 shouldn't do another. Said we
ought to sort of average things up.
Then he said | hadn't no right to
saddle man with bad hand with
the care of woman and two kids.
So we framed it up. knew they'd
do me on my record. and the game
was to keep me off the stand entirely
so they couldn't prove it on me. So
Tom, he pleaded guilty to burglary
in the second, and pleaded not
guilty and went to trial. Then Tom
became a witness for me and said
how he committed the burglary and
l didn't have nothin' to do with it.
And the jury acquitted me without
my even goin' on the stand at ALL
by George" said Randolph.
Titan twitched again. His CIGAR