Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-04-17
A FIRING LINE MYSTERY
Life seoretof Young Bond, Whose Lips Bullet Sealed

item mt of the books, for his father in-
tenued to take him into business part
nership. Bond had to have no less
than So0cU to make good his stealings.
There was no other way left to him
than to steal 1t. II knew all about
the bank, the combinations to the
locks, the ways of the watchman and
all that and he had studied up knock
out drops. He left som, liquor that
, had been doctored with drugs for the
Watchman to drink, knowing the
mans weakness, and the rest was
easy. He entered the bank from the
rear stealthily, having made sure that
the watchman was unconscious, had
just got into the inner vault, when he
heard a noise and saw a dim light in
the outer room. He knew it could not
be the watchman, and at once raised
his revolver for action and crouched
to one side. Then he heard a voice.
saying: My God, 1 must have killed
him. l didn't know it was so power
full. Wake up, Mike"'
/ There was no response, and Bond
says he recognized the voice as that of
his father just in time, for he intended
to shoot and escape in a rush if possi-
bic. Then Bond became conscious of
his own danger. His father might
shoot him. The father soon saw the
open doors of the vault. What does
this mean" he said. Mike, YOU didn't
do this; you couldn't! Who is there?
Speak. or I'll shoot. Quiclr Then it
was that Bond saw he had nc show
and he shouted to his father not to
shoot and revealed his own identity.
Then there followed strange scene
in that bank vault. ThelS We're the
father, the son and the unconscious
watchman together in the early hours
of the morning. What does this mean.
son? said the father, sternly. Has
it come to this-my son Il bank roll
beS? Young Bond said he was game,
and he replied: What are you doing
here? Are you a bank robber your
self? Who put Mike in this condi.
uon: You see he had overheard his
father make that exclamation about
Mike, and he took chances. Explain
your position on the inside of that
vault, said the father. Explain what
you said about not knowing that some
thing was so powerful when you saw
Nike said the son. And then the
father broke down completely and the
son went to pieces and each, thinking
that Mike was about to die, confessed
TO the other. The father had been
specializing in the Eastern markets,
| had nSpl a lpt of f,n ;,, Ia,
charge, and the only way for him to
get out was to rob his own bank. He
had also left some Knockout drops for
the watchman, and it was the COM
bined dose that made father and son
think that the man would die. The
son owned up to the father, and then
| followed n discussion as to what was
best to be done.
'They agreed that the bank must be
robbed; that was their only salvation
They agreed also that it would be best
Tor one OF them to appear TO be de-
Tending the banks treasure. 1t was
finally decided that it would be best
FOR the son to wound the father slight,
ly in the side, take enough money to
suit their purposes and leave his faith.
er there to be discovered in the morn
ing. The old man said he was so des-
perate that hc would take chances.
ana he would tell story about feeling
uneasy in his dreams as to the condi-
ton of affairs ut the bank and of get
ting up in the night and going down
there to see If all was right, of en-
countering a robber or set of robbers.
of having a mighty struggle with
them, ending, so far rs he could recol-
lect with a revolver shot which made
him unconscious. He had no fear as
10 Mike. II Mike recovered he would
be so ashamed Of being drunk that he
would invent some story of being
gagged, especially as father and SON
had arranged to bind him with gag
and tie his hands.
"Ihen father and son planned the
details OF the shooting. disarranged
the furniture, bound and gagged the
Watchmqn, took the money and broke
the locks and the father lay down
after tearing his clothing and had the
son give him what he supposed was
only slight flesh wound in the side.
The Old man was full of nerve, and
after the shooting was over hurried
the son away and told him how to act
when the discovery was made in the
morning. They had wounded the
Waterman, also.
Bond says he went home and to
bed and acted his part thoroughly
when they reused him to tell him of
the dreadful accident to his father. 1t
turned out really 10 be = dreadful af-
fair, for both the fath-r and the
watchman were found dead and the
bank robbed. Young Bond says he
made good his gambling debts and en-