Year: 1874




Golfer was wanted by a lawyer in San
Francisco, who advertised for him as
agent for the executors Of the estate Of
Charles Jessup, lately deceased in Massa-
chusetts. He was wanted to receive
100000 bequcathed to him by said Jes-
sup, and it was thought if Henry Golfer
were living he would not object to COM
ing forward and claiming the handsome
legacy


Henry Golfer and f. H. Parker were
members of a firm doing business in
Olympia, Oregon, in 1854. Parker had
charge Of the firms businessi in San Fran
cisco, and lived in that city. 1t became
necessary to transport $4 800 in gold from
Olympia to San Francisco, and Henry
Golfer was intrusted to carry it. On the
vessel with Golfer was his young friend
Charles Jessup, in whom he had every
confidence. During the passage Golfer,
being a conviviaf young man, got on a
spree and could not get off it. He did
not wish his partner, Parker, to see the
condition he was in, SO when the vessel
arrived in San Francisco he gave
the bag of gold to Jessup to
carry to Parker. The gold never
reached ParkeY's hands and Jessup could
not be found Golfer related the cir
cumstance of giving the treasure to Jes-
sup, but he was not believed. The firm
was broken up and Golfer was branded
by all who knew anything of the case as
thief. Appearances were against him
and he knew it. There was no way of
exculpating himself or proving his inno
cence unless Jessup should turn up
Jessup kept in the dark. Golfer went to
the dogs. He was predisposed to the
bowl anyhow, and the pressure of his
misfortune drove him to habitual drunk
enncss. He did job work and drank up
the proceeds. He was finally lost sight
of. His partner, f. II. Parker, went into
business again in San Francisco and is
now wellknown merchant there 1t
was hardly likely that Henry Golfer
would ever be wanted by anybody again.
He felt the stain on his name and char
acter and its memory had burned into
his soul.


When one morning well-known law
yer in San Francisco advertised for this
same Henry Golfer nobody in town knew
where he was, nor had any of his old
friends heard of him for years. If lie
was not dead in the flesh, he had long
~, u1 sal -,
obscurity.


Charles Jcssup had been heard from
and some particulars of his life and death
were stated Before he died he confessed
by writing that he had run off to South
America with Golfer & Parker's $4,s0O
He had got rich and gone home to die
Dying, he left Henry Golfer the sum of
100000 as some compensation for the
great wrong he had done him so many
years ago. Henry Golfer thea had be-
come Il person of some Importance. His
character for honesty was vindicated
His good pane was restored. If alive he
was worth 100000. He was worth hunt
ing up.


A little, dried-up man of about forty
hard years was securing knives and forks
in a hotel kitchen in Watsonville one
morning. He was nervous, and his head
was down, and he tottered on his feet a
little, and his nose was red as wet rad
ish. He had evidently been at the bot
tie good deal, and he evidently could
not see his way out of that kitchen. A
man came hurrying into the kitchen
with newspaper in his hand and ex-
claimed: Here you are, Golfer; rouse
yourself, man. You have been left $780,
OOO."


The little, thin, nervous, red-nosed man
stared wildly around, and his knives and
brickdust fell from his nerveless hands.
He took the paper with great surprise
shaking him all over, and read the in
quiry for Henry Golfer and why.


"At last! at last!" he shouted. "They
said stole it, and now the truth is out!
Great God! After twenty years Of wait
ing my honor is cleared and my good
name is returned to mel"


The paper had flashed light and hope
into him. He sank in chair, buried his
face in his hands and wept for joy.


Henry Golfer quit securing knives and
forks, and seemed to rise up out Of his
menial condition. new man. Some
newly found friends enabled him to dress
himself up and he left the next day for
San Francisco. Golfer made his first
call in the city upon his former partner,
e. H. Parker. Parker knew all about it
now, and had already exonerated Golfer,
dead or alive. He ewas delighted to see
Golfer, and congratulated him on his
changed fortune. He told Golfer in .
joke that as the original $4,00O that was
stolen was half his property, it was no
more than fair that half the legacy should
be his also. Henry Golfer is now on his
way East to look after his property, and
he has solemnly resolved to reduce the