A NIGHTMARE
"In the eyes of the law a man is innocent until proven guilty; the
world says he is guilty until proven innocent."
I was taken to the district attorney's office, treated with courtesy,
and told I would be released on giving five hundred dollars bail.
I believed I could do this and was given the day to accomplish
it. By telephone and telegraph I tried to find the friends whom I
thought would surely stand by me to that extent in this emergency,
especially as there was no possible risk of loss. They had but to
take the five hundred dollars out of their bank and deposit it in
another place quite as secure. Sooner or later it would come back
to them.
When the day was ended I was poorer by the amount of the tolls I
had paid and had not found the friend. This one would like to do
it, but could not; another had gone to luncheon and would call me
up on the telephone as soon as he returned--he must be still at
luncheon. Every one I tried had some excuse.
To my wife I wrote fully, suggesting to her a number of people to
whom she might appeal in her efforts to effect my release. Then I
settled down to grim despair.
For three full weeks my wife labored unceasingly to get bail. The
amount had been reduced, first to three hundred, then to two hundred
dollars, and finally she secured the latter sum and I returned to
her almost a wreck mentally and physically.
Among the people I had told my wife to apply to was Mr. Mallison,
who, it will be remembered, was the man to whom I sold the Wood
and Slater interests in certain properties.
For some time before our second failure he had been doing business
in our office on joint account and some of the money he had
contributed was lost. In reply to my wife's letter he gave these
losses as a reason for not helping, and added that I had admitted
to his lawyer I had not made the purchases for which his money was
to be used for margins.
I know the man and do not believe he would knowingly make a statement
contrary to the facts, but I cannot conceive how he could possibly
place such a construction on anything that was said by me at the
interview he referred to, or at any other time. It is absolutely
and unqualifiedly false. Not only did I make clear that every dollar
of his money had been applied as intended, but I urged his lawyer
to examine the books and trace the losses, and understood he would
do so. When he did not, I supposed he was entirely satisfied and did
not want to further mix in my affairs for fear that the creditors
would try to hold his client responsible as an undisclosed partner.
Is it reasonable to suppose that I would appeal to Mallison for
help if there had been the slightest shadow of foundation for the
statement in his letter? The idea is preposterous.
My condition was now such that rest was imperative. In three weeks
I had lost in weight twenty-one pounds and my nerves were almost
in a state of total collapse. I hoped a few weeks in the country
would renew my physical strength and mental equilibrium, but I had
underestimated the force of the shock. All the summer and fall the
weakness remained and it was only toward the close of the year I
was able to resume my labors. This enforced rest was made possible
through the kindness of two or three gentlemen in the trade and one
or two other friends who contributed the funds to meet my family
expenses.
When bail was given I was told trial would come early in October.
Letters of inquiry to the district attorney brought only indefinite
replies, simply telling me I would be notified when wanted, and
there the matter ended.