Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-01-31
HIS DOWNWARD CAREER CHECKED.
Instead of Becoming Thief He Became Hero

ner of Broad and Wall streets talking
with a friend, when dignified look
ing old man came along. The old de-
tective touched his hand to his nat as
the elderly man passed, and the latter
returned the salutation. The old de-
tective watched him disappear around
the corner of Nassau street with Gu
rious smile on his face. He didn't stop
smiling until the man was out of
sight. Then he turned to his friend
and remarked:
There never was better illustra-
tion of the old saying that truth is
stranger than fiction than the history
of that man. There is man who Is
highly respected by all who know him.
He is model of honesty and integ-
rity, and if any man intimated that
he had ever done anything dishonest
he would be laughed at. Yet the basis
of that mans fortune was an act tnat
would have sent him to prison for ~
years if it had ever been known.
know the story from the only other
man in the world who ever knew the
truth of the affair, and in all my life
| never heard of anything to equal It,
Do you happen to know that man."
"Never saw him in my life, and
wouldn't know him if l met him five
minutes from now," remarked the old
detectives friend, who was wise in his
day and generation.
Good" said the old detective
"Then I'll tell you the story. l won't
mention the time, the place or the
real names, for would not want you
to identify those who played part
in this affair. I'll call the old gentle
man who just passed Lavery, because
that isn't his name, and is about as
far from it as any l can think of just
now. Well, 20 years ago Lavery
worked in a bank in Kings. Kings
isn't on the map so far as | know, but
the place where Lavery worked was,
and is. Nevertheless, We'll call the
place Kings. I.avery was product of
Kings. His father was a poor but
much respected clergyman. He was
pretty fine preacher and | believe
had a lot of high-salaried calls from
time to time, but he was one of those
fellows who thought his field Of labor
was right where he was, and for whom
was brought up in Kings and his
father made a good job of it. He was
the model young man of the town. He
was no namby-pamby boy, and any
one who tried to come it over him
found himself up against stiff propo-
sition wnen he went too far. Lavery
was the best swimmer, the best boxer
and the best all-round athlete in
Kings, yet, withal, he was a church
boy, never smoking or drinking, gam
bling or using bad language, and al
ways attending Sunday school and
prayer meetings. He was pointed to
as the coming man of Kings, and the
town was proud of him.
There was nothing remarkable in
the fact that when vacancy occurred
in the First National bank of Kings
Lavery was called to the place. Right
here his career began. Nobody in
town was jealous of his good fortune,
no one thought of being, for the whole
town sort of regarded it as Lavery's
right to get the first good thing that
came along. Now the job that Law
cry took was not very remunerative.
He only got SO week, and his work
was Of the most menial kind, running
errands and doing Office work. from
early morning until quite late in the
evening sometimes. | say it wasn't
the job, so much as the opportunity
that it gave Lavery to rise, that made
1t a good thing for him. Well, Law
cry boned in like a good fellow. He
was just the sort of fellow to dig in
and get on to things. He fairly thirst
ed for knowledge and ! verify believe
that he would have made go out of
peanut stand, If his father had started
him in that line.
Careers in banks are not of the
meteoric order, but Lavery certainly
established precedent in this regard.
He didn't have to wait for people over
him to die, in order to get ahead. He
crowded the men over him out, and
when he was only 80 years old was
cashier of the National bank of Kings
ut salary of $4,000 year, which was
quite a good deal, even for a bank Off
cial, in a small town like Kings. Law
cry had married the sweetest little
girl in the town, in the meantime, and
had duplicated her with another little
girl. who was his pride and joy He
was the happiest man in that town.
and with his home. his wife and his
baby, he had every reason to be. He
had little money saved up and a fine
fat place that no man living could get
away from him. as long as he behaved
himself.
Now. I've had n great deal of ex-
perience with crooks, and | have stud
led their ways and the motives that
lead them to live lives of crime with
great care. but this man Lavery was a
mystery that | never could solve. Here
was man who had never done a dis
honest act In his life. who had nothing
to gain. and everything to lose by dis
honesty. and yet carefully planned out
q robbery of the bank with which he