The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-10-09
Held For
Ransom


was rich, but lived as though in ex-
IRENE poverty. He gave his son,
David, but two years at school, and
this to please two or three business
men. Then he said David must earn
his own living, which David was will
ing to do. When the latter finally
got married his father was SO mean
he refused to attend the wedding,
Old John Beckwsth occupied as an
office ramshackle shanty In
neighborhood none too reputable. He
did this to save rent. AS it was
matter of common gossip that he al
ways had a large sum Of money with
him, and that he was in his office
until late hour in the evening, be
had been warned over and over again
that a plot would be Matched to rob
him He paid no heed to the warn
fngs, and at length was caught.
One evening as the old man sat at
his desk with his back to the door
man sneaked In and threw a cloth
saturated with chloroform over his
head. When Beckwith recovered
his wits he was not only lying on the
floor of an empty house, but was tied
down and gagged. He had been taken
out of the back door of his office
and into the back door Of cottage
facing the other street
Young Mrs. Beckwith was house
hunting. In her wanderings she came
upon cottage which pleased her and
got the key from the agent to in
spect it,
In one of the bedrooms she discov-
cred her father-in-law. 1t was the
day after he had been kidnapped.
She recognized him at once. She also
remembered about his meanness. Her
first thought was to rush out and give
the alarm. Her second was to have
a little talk first.
The old man had had a pretty hard
time of 1t since recovering conscious
ness. AS it happened, he had only
about a hundred dollars In his pocket
when made a captive and this was
far from satisfying his captors, of
whom there were three. They want
ed his check for $4,000.
"You don't get 1t for even col
lar!" was his reply.
They lighted candle and burned
his feet, but he would not give in.
They bent two Of his fingers back,
but still he defied them.
~. Ill i,,I ~,
ways. for two or three hours, and
then left the house with the threat to
return at night and kill him if he did
not give up He had passed many
hours bound and gagged when the
young wife discovered him. He re-
cognized her, as she did him.
This is some of your work"
Il came here to rent the place and
found you thus"
Release me at oncel"
Il will notl"
The old man tried to shout, but his
voice was gone He had struggled
against bonds for hours and learned
that 1t was useless.
the opportunity was good to read him
lecture on the meanness of the life
he had been living, and how he had
treated his wife and son, and she
read it in her very best style. 1t
made an impression on the old man.
He promised to do better, She re-
leased him from his bonds and said
she would say nothing about the pre-
dicament in which she had found
him. He feared the ridicule of those
who knew him.
When he reached home after an
absence of 20 hours, in which his
wife had worried herself almost i'll,
she dared to look at him interroga-
lively for the first time in her life,
81 had to go out of town on bust
ness" he said as he kissed her
He kept to his promise For z
whole day ne was reviewing his
deeds, and there were immediate re-
suits. He owned much better cot
tage than the one in which he had
been held for ransom, and within a
week it had been decided to David
and his wife and partly furnished.
Then he presented himself at their
rooms and said:
David. I've been chasing some Of
the meanness out of my system. 1t
came hard, but / did it. hear that
your wife is looking for cottage to
rent. Don't bother with it. Here is
deed to one as a bridal present."
Eyes bulged out and mouths stood
open.
"And, David" concluded the father.
eff this wife of yours ever starts to
give you any advice don't squelch
her. 1t will be worth listening to
and obeying!"