The record-union., 1897-07-19
A TEMPTED BOY.
HIS STOLEN WEALTH SOON BE-
CAME INTOLEKABLE.
With Thirty Thousand Dollars IN
His Pocket He Could Not
Sleep or Eat.

Learn how it feels to become rlch
dishonesty.
Read this story of one boy who de-
cided that Honesty the best po4lcs
was old-fashioned nonsense
Misery, fear, remorse, cowardlce, 1oss
of appetite, grief that even new '9i
bicycle could not quench, all these
things accompanied pockets stufed
with thousands in greenbacks-
Albert NJ. King, bank clerk or the
Boyleston Bank of Boston here tells
his own story for the first time. 1t is
a simple, straightforward, boyish mar
rative, and it is a sermon on honesty.
He had always been a good boy until
two weeks ago.
He was fun back on the High School
eleven before he entered the bank; was
popular at school; stood high in his
class; attended Sunday school, and
was in every respect an admirable boy.
His great ambition in life was to be-
come rich.
After he entered the bank he won the
confidence of everybody.
He often carried very large sums of
money to and from the Boyleston Ma
tional Bank.
He had frequently had as much as
100000 in his hands at one time on
the street.
The irresistible temptation to steal
came to him on May 10Th.
He was then carrying $4,000.
He decided to run away, and took the
first train out of Boston from the first
railroad station he came to. 1t hap
pened to be the Boston and Lowell
Before he got to Lowell he was sorry
and wanted to return.
But then he was ashamed, because
he knew he could not explain where he
had been for the past three hours with
that $4,000
He got off the train at Lowell and
bought a bicycle and felt the sense of
ownership in it he had the only happy
moment after taking the $50, 1000.
He rode on the wheel to Hampton, n.
H, went to bed and tried to sleep, but
could not
He would have given all the money
he ever expected or hoped to have in
the world if he were back in Boston
with the stolen money in the Boyleston
Bank.
Next day he went to Portland and
from there to Yarmouth Me.
He could not sleep, could not eat
and did not have one moment of pleas
ure.
At the end of ten days even his
precious bicycle became a burden.
He abandoned it at Yarmouth Then
he went by train to the Rangeley
Lakes He was constantly thinking
of the $4,000 in his pocket and fear
ing some other thief would steal it.
When he got off the train at Range
ley Lakes he saw a policeman, started
10 surrender himself, then changed his
mind and decided to go back to Boston
and give himself up there.
He started back and got as far as
Pennington, Me, and was recognized
on the train by a man who asked him
if he was not Albert NJ. King. The
man had seen his picture in the papers.
King said yes, and Immediately gave
himself up.
That night he slept in Pennington
Jail.
This was last Saturday.
For the first time since May 10Th he
was happy.
He slept s0undly
His appetite returned.
Next day he returned to Boston to
face the music.
He says that nobody who is dishon-
est can possibly be happy.
He does not think the mere posses
sion of money gives anybody pleasure.
If King were a bad boy he would be
utterly without friends in his own
town at Wollaston Mass, to-day but
such is not the case. His old school
fellows have called to see him at his
fathers house. and on any day he may
be seen in the old pine grove on the
Wollaston golf links, talking and play
inc with his companions, for he is free
on S.. 500 bail awaiting trial. In this
beautiful grove young King lay Wed
nesday afternoon last reading Quo
Vadis.'
What impelled me to do what 1 did ?
That question has been asked meby my
mother with her face damp with tears
My father, too, has asked it, and so
has my aunt
1T is the first question put to me by
every friend who comes to wish me
well and to sympathiZe with me. /
suppose it is natural to ask. but it is
not so easily answered.
I was not really in a frame of mind
my return and admission to bail. Here
among these trees is a good place to
think. and when 1 put that question to
myself it didn't take me long to work
out the answer.
Impulse drove me, or rather swayed
me to do what I did; nothing else but
impulse, so strong that it led me along
step by step, and would not permit of
7 ha1 hi
of the good things possible to secure
with plenty of money, and / tell you
now that money always seemed good
to me. but 1 never in my life was so
miserable as when 1 found myself far
from Boston. free to go where I pleas
ed and with $4,000 in my pocket
I had been tempted many times
while handling big sums of money fol
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