The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1918-06-06

mot very" 1 answered Il nave
some good friends at Petroleum Cen
ter who will feed me and look after
me, and keep me under cover while
the police are searching for me; and
| guess they will get doctor, too,
What is worrying me most just now
is that l cannot write with my left
hand, and / want to write letter.
You see, my folks live at Fort Erie,
agara river, opposite Buffalo | have
been saving my money and sending it
to my people at Fort Erie, and they
have 1t all deposited In a bank at
Buffalo, to my credit. | have several
hundred dollars there, and If l could
only write a letter tonight and mall
it on the early morning train tomor-
row morning, 1t would reach Fort
Erie tomorrow night My friends
could then send me all the money
need, which / would receive the day
after tomorrow at Petroleum Center"
George Book was thoroughly taken
off guard.
Il am a pretty good penman and
would be glad to write the letter for
you" he answered, This, as a matter
of fact, / knew already, for | had
learned that George Book was a good
scholar, having been a country school
teacher some years before in his ma
tive county, Crawford county, Pennsyl-
vania. He was also considered an ex-
ira good penman. At the same time,
it was on Henry and not on George
that the suspicion had naturally fallen.
George Book excused himself and
went to his house, which stood near
by, returning in a few minutes with
letter paper, envelopes and a big lunch
for two, including a pot OF coffee.
We ate the lunch together, and then
| produced cigars from my pocket,
and we lit up. After we had finished
George Book started to write the let
ter at my dictation. In debating this
l used as many words as could
which had been used in the anony-
nous letters, with whose contents |
of course thoroughly familiarized my
self
at once perceived that George
Book was using the same quality of
paper as that upon which all the
anonymous letters had been written
and, in consequence, did not make
my letter very long. / also perceived.
before three lines had been set down,
that he used the same handwriting,
the same kind of ink and. in all prob
ability, the same pen as had been used
previously. 1t was now obvious that
the letters had been written by
George. Whether or not he had
drawn the oil out of the tank had
still to be shown, and that was the
more serious offense, by far.
When the letter had been written
Book addressed the envelope, inclosed
the mssive, and sealed and stamped
it. Apparently profusely grateful
thanked him and departed in the di-
rection of Petroleum Center, but in
reality toward Oil City, which
reached early the following morning
after had set out.
During the course of the forenoon
/ submitted the dictated letter, which
| had taken away, as though to post
1t, togther with the anonymous let
tiers which had been sent to Mr.. Ack-
ert, to a writing expert who was con
nected with the First National bank OF
Oil City. He compared the four and
said without hesitation that they had
all been written by the same person
That afternoon | went back to the
Ackert lease, knowing that George
Book would be off duty and in bed
and that, in consequence, there would