Jasper County Democrat, Volume 16, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1914 — VINDICATED [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

VINDICATED

Story of a Man Who Was Believed a Thief

By WILLIAM CHANDLER

Among those w ho went to California when gold was discovered there in IMP was c,- k. lie was a married man \«:ui one - ui. .. , girl of ten. Griffin decided to make the land journey. He went from Buffalo to St. Joseph, Mo., traveling most of tlie way by stage, and there outfitted w ith one of tin- “prairie schooners.' of that day, a wagon with a canvas top, drawn by horses, which he tilled with provisions, cooking utensils, bedding and such other articles as would be needed on the journey. When all was ready and

he was about to start a rawboned country boy stepped up to him and said: “Say, mister, won't you take me along?" “What's your name?" asked GrilUa of the boy. “Zeb.’’ “Zeb what?” “I don't know. Father and mother were killed by Indians on tin- plains. I AYfis picked up by buffalo hunters.” “Have you any home?” “No” Little Molly Griffin stood by the wag on listening to this dialogue, and her big blue eyes were tilled with pity. She said nothing, but remained intent on what her father was saying. “Have you uo clothes ‘ but those you have on?” he asked the bov. I ' “XO.” Griffin remained silent a few moments, deliberating. Tln-n lie said: “1 want a boy about your age to help with tin- l-.irses and anything r!*o there is to l«- done on tlie way. I'-i give you your, grub, but I've nothing else for you. If you want to go with us on those terms you mnv.“ “I do.”

“Weil, cotue along with line. Those Clothes wouldn't last you halfway. You’ll need an overcoat when we ge t to the iuou-ntatus. and I must have another blanket- Reckon we h:,\. Jo robes enough." Mrs. Grifiii! called her husbaini a ride and expressed a doubt as to the propriety of taking with them a waif who was entirely unknown to them, hut Gridin said he would need some ere. Zeb prov e l a valuable acquisitiop. He soon lean ed to harness and unbar ness tin- horses and was very useful in unloading atid loading the wagons when the party camped under the stars. When Griffin was obliged to make repairs the boy proved very handy as an assistant. It was tile first time in iiis life that he had been a member of a family, and lie seemed delighted with tljie association, the duties yud the experience of traveling all day and camping at night with the others. ' .

A recital of the adventures of the party would fill a volume. There is only room here to say that after many mishaps and dangers they reached the mountains and after many more mishaps and dangers passed over them and finally struck the region o f the gold diggings. By this time Zeb had become a fixture in the family. It would have been cruel to send him away; none of them wished to pai-t with him. v

Griffin had brought some inoney with him. which he invested in mines that had been partially developed. But. for a long while none of these investments turned out to be very profitable. Meanwhile Zen grew to be a young man and gave indications of having Sprung from parents above the average in the social scale. He haft outgrown doing chores for .the Griffin family, but had not outgrown his interest in them. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin were the* only parents he bad ever, known, and. as for Molly, he would at any time have given his head to grat*

Ify a whim of hers. But as he grew older he took his pick and shovel and started forth to try his luck as a prospector. When Griffin had been in California six years he struck a bonanza. He bought a partly developed mine for a song and sold it for * fortune. The amount lie received for it was 420

pounds of gold. It must lie remembered that California was still an inaccessible country. To reach the Atlantic coast by laud the Same perilous journey the Griffins had taken to reach tlie Pacific must be taken again. To go by sea meant something, though less dangerous, at any rate more tiresome. They desired to return te their home in New York slate and carry their fortune with tie-, i. but dreaded either of these routes. After much deliberation it was decided that they would go southward by sea to Panama and there attempt to find transportation across the isthmus to Colon and thence bv sea again to New York. They would avoid the necessity of a journey down the west coast and up the east coast of South America.

They made preparations for the journey, putting their gold in a box to take with them. It was carefully weighed, showing that there were exactly 420 pounds of gold, exclusive of the box. Just before the ship sailed on which they had taken passage Mrs. Griffin was taken suddenly ill. After deliberation Mr. Griffin decided to send Zeb in advance with the treasure that he might investigate the means of getting across the isthmus. If lie found it too difficult, to warrant their going by that route lie was to write tlie fact and they would make other arrangements. Zeb sailed oil the ship that was to have taken the whole party and in due time reached Panama. lie hud been instructed by Griffin that if he found it best to turn in tbe gold at Panama and take a draft on New Aork lie was to do so. As soon as lie arrived lie made inquiries as to crossing the isthmus and found it practicable, though dangerous, principally from the liability to contraction „f disease. , .

He wrote Mr:-.Griffin the result of his inquiries, but tlie latter did not receive his letter, for Mrs. Griffin recovered as quickly as she had been taken ill. and, finding a ship about to sail that would touch at Panama, her husband, worrying about liis gold, decided to follow Zeb to the isthmus. \\ hen the parly reached Panama they found Zeb l in trouble. lle had decided to buy a draft for tlie gold and bad taken steps to do so. But On weighing the metal, instead of itweighing' 420 pounds, it weighed 4ld. This was a sad blow to Zeb. Js > fe nful bad lie been that some on«> might purloin some of it that lie had had i! placed in liis stateroom dii tlie ship and kept it then- during the whole of tbe journey. He scrutinized tlie hex to see if lie could find a gimlet li-.le. a loose nail or any other evidence of an outlet for tlie gold, but none app- .r*> ’. and bis heart sank within him at the imputation that must necessarily res; upon him of having stolen tlie ifiis-mg four pounds of gold himself. When tlie Griffins arrived Zeb n , fessed the shortage which be was n, able to account for. Loath as was Mr. Griffin to believe that Zeb bad a; propviated tin* missing four pounds of metal, lie was forced to believe Unit the young man had lost the money gambling or in some other way and had been obliged to take the gold to save himself. Possibly be had Imped he might replace it. Mr. Griffin re verted to the time whim they had taken Zeb in without any oiie to von h for him and admitted that that bad happened which might have been <-\ pcs ted. Molly, now a girl of seventeen, was the onlyone of tlie three who m spite of the indisputable evidence be lieved in Zeb's innocence. After a conference Mr. and Mrs. Griffin came to the conclusion that Zeb iiad been cornered in some way and had yielded to temptation. Ts cared little for tlie gold that was miss-’ but regretted that one tlu-y 1 ,d grown fond of should have robbed them. Mr. Griffin told Zeb that tin*,, must part and handl'd him. £.IOO for immediate use. Zeb declined to lake the money. ,

Mr. Griffin deckled to take his gold to New Orleans and succeeded in getting bis family across the isthmus without one of them coming down with any ot the fevers then prevalent in that region. On reaching the Crescent City lie had the treasure carted to a bank and asked for a draft for its value on New York. The gokl was counted and the draft made out. When Mr. Gridin saw it lie remarked that there must be some mistake, lb* bad figured the amount himself from the weight and had uiade it much less. The amount of the draft was the same as it would have been had the gold missed at Panama not been taken. Whereupon he received the following statement: '

i “Gold sent from Washington to the mint at New Orleans has been fouml to weigh leks at the latter than the former place. This is because New Orleans is nearer the equator than Washington, and the centrifugal force arising from the revolution of the earth is greater the nearer one approaches tlie equator, rendering objects lighter.”

Here was an explanation of the missing four pounds of gold. Mr. Griffin hurried at once to his wife and daughter to announce that there had after all been no robbery. Zeb was communicated, with and money sent Ito bring him to New Orleans. When, lie arrived he was received with open arms and from that time forward was a member of the Griffin family, taking' their name in lien of his own, which he never knew.

MR. GRIFFIN TOLD ZEB THEY MUST PART.