had arrived in town at 2:30, and at 4:00 would be at a certain place to visit a sister. A. P. L. men arrived at that place. In a few minutes a man of the draft-evader's description, wearing a cowboy hat and typical cowboy attire, came swaggering up the steps. When taken, he put up a somewhat original and unique story:
You see, I am hard of hearing and have a bad heart. I am
not at all yellow. I am ready to fight at any time, and have
always been ready, but it occurred to me that as I could not
fight on account of my hearing and bad heart, I ought not
put the officials to the trouble of examining me. You see, it
would take a lot of time to examine me, so I thought the best
plan was just to save them that trouble, and as I was going
west anyway, etc.
Operatives then locked the cowboy up for the night, and
the next morning took him before the Department of Justice.
He was very repentant, and while adhering to the same
story, was anxious that something should be done to keep
him out of the Army. This matter was explained quietly
to the Department man who met him, and upon being advised
by the cowboy that he was hard of hearing, had a bad heart,
etc., the latter said: "I feel awfully sorry for you, but
you see, you are delinquent. You have laid yourself liable
to the law and a penitentiary offense. Now, we usually are
considerate and give a man a chance of going to war, but
you tell me you are hard of hearing and have a bad heart,
and of course, under those circumstances, we cannot send
you to the Army. That is too bad, and I suppose the decision
of the court will be that it is the penitentiary for you."
A very pale, excited listener immediately said: "Mister, now I think you misunderstand me. A man who goes through what I went through yesterday, being arrested and being locked up with a lot of bedbugs all night, has a fairly good heart. In fact, I believe I have entirely recovered my hearing, and am all over the heart trouble. If you will only let me go to the Army, I will waive all examination." He went.
In one day A. P. L. received three different complaints that a spy was working in the north-eastern part of the city. He was supposed to be German through and through, though
