The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-05-09
A SAILORS
KNOT
By EDWARD N. WENTWORTH

The president of the bank sent for me
and said:
"Mr. Hemingway, we must send $20.-
900 to the Third National bank of Cop
perton and get it there before 8 o'clock
I wish you and Williams to take it,
dividing the amount between you. You
will 60 by an automobile. for which l
have sent, to be here in ten minutes
from Anderson's garage. You and
Williams will, Of course, go armed, but
/ don't think there is any danger since
I see no reason why any one should
know that you carry money"
It was very we'll for the president to
money. but the bank was continually
sending out funds, and Williams and
were known as the banks messengers.
We didn't know who of the force en-
ployed in the bank might be dishonest
and knowing when funds were taken
to other places would supply infOrma-
ton to crooks that would cause a rob-
berry.
I had carried funds so often with
out getting into trouble that it seemed
to me the pitcher that goes often to
the well is at last broken.
However, Williams and I started,
each with $4,000 on our persons. Our
chauffeur we had had often before
and had every confidence in him. We
rolled out of town and onto the road to
Copperton. some twenty-five miles dis
tant.
Some ten miles of the distance
had been done, when, coming to a
sharp bend in the road, our driver slow
ed up to make the turn and a man
jumped onto the footboard on each
volver at our heads. A. third man COW
cred the driver and ordered him to
stop.
OF course we had no time to draw
and defend ourselves, and the chauf-
feur was unarmed. The first thing
the robbers. who were masked. did
was to take away our revolvers and
the next to go through us and relieve
us of the bills. Then they took us
into thick wood beside the road and.
whipping out strong cord. proceeded
to bind us so thoroughly that we
could not move hand or foot. Then
they put gags in our mouths and left
the three of US to get out of the
scrape as best we could.
Now, l had been to sea from eight
cen to twenty on a sailing vessel and
knew something about the calling of
sailor There was one circumstance
and only one that told me the man
who tied me had been a seaman.
When he bound me he tied the cord
in knot that every sailor uses con-
tinually and no one but sailor would
think Of using. Fortunately for me. l
couldn't talk for the gag in my mouth
or I should have called the attention
Of the others to the fact. AS it was,
soon bethought myself that large re-
ward would be paid by the bank for
the discovery of the robbers and with
the clew I possessed might more
easily win the reward myself. So l
determined to keep my counsel and as
soon as we were released to hunt for
a sailor or one who had been sailor
who was spending money freely.
The chauffeur. who had some false
teeth in his head. by dint of working
his jaws contrived to loosen them.
which loosened his gag also. and he
soon got both teeth and gag out of his
way. So when we heard the sound of
wheels passing on the road he set up
shout, which brought a man into
the wood. The chauffeur told him our
story, and, taking his knife, he cut
the cords that bound us. This ena-
bled me to preserve the knot that was
used in my case. and l stuffed it into
my pocket for evidence.
/ confess l didn't feel any especial
tenderness for the president Of the
bank, who thought should have found
better ways of sending money about
than the one adopted. | not only had
the obloquy Of having been robbed, OF
having some suspicion cast upon me
Of being in league with the robbers,
but had run risk of being murdered
Therefore / resolved on an effort to
get something out of the occurrence.
l wrote or telephoned the police Of
the neighboring towns to look out for
any one of sailor cut who was spend
ing money. was soon notified of
man who was ashore temporarily, who
had got 500 bill changed. l slipped
away to the town where the fellow
was. darkened my complexion, met
him In saloon. pretended to be drunk
and asked him to drink with me. We
had not been long together before he
changed another bill of large denomi-
nation, which | believed had been car
ried by either Williams or me. left
him at his boarding house, but return
ed when he was asleep and before he
awakened from his drunken stupor
had found S1O.S5O of the banks money.
When he got righted again | prom
Used him light punishment if he would
peach on his comrades. He agreed,