The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-06-06
A SAILORS
KNOT
By EDWARD N. WENTWORTH

perton and get 1t there before 3 o'clock
l wish you and Williams to take it.
dividing the amount between you. You
will go by an automobile, for which !
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
l see no reason why any one should
know that you carry money"
1t was very well for the president to
say that no one would know we carried
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 rob
berry.
l 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 ! 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 II
sharp bend in the road, our driver slow
ed up to make the turn and a man
Jumped onto the fOOtboard on each
side, each man holding a cooked re-
volver at our heads. A third man COW
cred the driver and ordered him to
stop.
or 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 a 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, | bad been to sea from eight
cen to twenty on sailing vessel and
knew something about the calling of a
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 a knot that every sailor uses con
tinually and no one but sailor would
think OF using. Fortunately for me, !
couldn't talk for the gag in my mouth
or / should have called the attention
Of the others to the fact. AS 1t was, !
soon bethought myself that large re-
ward would be paid by the bank for
the discovery Of the robbers and with
the clew | possessed / might more
easily win the reward myself. So ]
determined to keep my counsel and as
soon as we were released to hunt for
a sailor or one who had been a 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
a 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 stuffed 1t into
my pocket for evidence.
confess ] 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 a risk Of being murdered
Therefore / resolved on an effort to
get something out Of the occurrence.
wrote or telephoned the police OF
the neighboring towns to look out fol
any one Of a sailor cut who was spend
ing money. was soon notified Of a
! 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 l believed had been car
ried by either Williams or me. l left
him at his boarding house, but return.
ed when he was asleep and before he
| awakened from his drunken stupor
had found S10,S50 Of the banks money
When he got righted again I prom
ised him light punishment If he would
peach on his comrades. He agreed
and it turned out that the others were
ex-convicts. who had got hold of the
sailor while ashore and led him into
the robbery. All the money except a
few hundred dollars was recovered
and captured a reward Of $1,000. As
soon as l had received it, / left the
service Of the bank and do not intend
TO go back as messenger to that OF
any other institution. Their methods
| of exchanging funds I consider ont of