The Washington times., 1938-08-26

across this corner, why a cert
been sitting on the same Grant
for so many years.
Thirty years in fact, though not
always on this same bench. You
see, some years ago, before Michl-
gan Boulevard was what it is to-
day. there hadn't been any PARK
bench. But just the same this OLD
gentleman had occupied this very
spot. Standing approximately
where now he sat. Sat through
every day, rain or shine, snow, or
sleet. And always no matter What
the weather, dressed somewhat
the same.
SEASON COATS
A long black coat covered his
almost six feet and a derby OF
the same color crowned his head.
In a conversation I had with
the old gentleman, we spoke OF
the traffic both human ana
vehicular and how it had changed
in the course of the years IN So
many different ways.
And as officer Magee, who con-
trolls that teeming traffic, was also
a part of our view, we also spoke
of him. It was from Magee after
wards that learned what I had
sought unavailingly to get from
the old codger.
Magee and I had been friends
for years and 1 had passed his
corner morning and night for the
last decade, on my way to and
from the Art Institute where 1
worked. It had been some years
before what am about to relate
happened that Magee told me the
story, piecemeal as I have eX-
planned.
1t seems he had been sitting
there many years before I had
started on my present job and
when 1 was busy instead over on
LaSalle Street, named incidentally
after an early explorer of these
parts when they were occupied by
the Red Men.
And now this is the way that
Magee told the story to me.
McStab was the name of the man
who occupied this iron bench.
Thirty years ago Arthur McStah
was a hard working young fellow
employed by one Of the many
grain operators on the famous
Chicago Board Of Trade.
How he, of all people, should
happen to fall a victim to one of
the most ordinary crooke d
schemes will ever remain a mys-
terry. McStab was a smart and
shrewd fellow, Magee told me, and
he knew him well, for he was at
the time on duty at another inter
section - Jackson and LaSalle
Streets, and here he had met
McStab and his fellow workers as
they lived across his way or
stopped to say word or two be-
fore going into their building.
Now this McStab had not lived
as high as the usual young man
who is on his way up in the grain
business, but had saved his money
and at the time of which we speak
he had the sum of one thousand
dollars in the bank and was just a
few days away from what was to
be his wedding day.
$1,000 IN BANK
Several days before the Satur-
day that was to see him the proud
husband of the daughter Of old
Chauncey Ward, himself one Of the
smartest traders on the board,
McStab came to grief.
In some way or other he had
come in contact with a man who
was to sell him of all things ma
chine to convert plain white pieces
of paper into hundred dollar bills.
It was learned afterwards that
McStab in spite of his having
been born and raised in the city
and his general acquaintance with
everything connected with the Or
dinary methods of cheap crooks,
he had never heard of this par
ticular scheme.
Even so, why McStab had ever
gone into this thing anyway is be-
yond understanding. Still, he was
desperate for extra money for his
wedding and honeymoon. He con-
fessed to his friends afterwards
that he had been about to borrow
the money when along came this
crook.
And so he fell for the game,
drew out his entire savings and
acquired nothing but simple lit
tie box with a system Of rollers,
a blank piece of paper and real
hundred dollar bill.
The result of the affair seems
to have thrown poor McStab com
pletely off his balance, and al
though the papers didn't get that
part of it, it was common gossip
around the financial section.
Naturally the wedding wa!
called off, McStab was blackballec
with the Board of Trade members
lost his job and, as I say, appar
emily his mind.
WAITS AT SCENE
It had been at Adams and Mich
igan that the deal had been cor
summated, so it was here that Nj
Stab had returned about a montl