New Britain herald., 1929-06-17
CHAPTER 43 THE LEAD BULLET

Jsrry's vivid description had brought | realistic picture of the meeting between Furie and Andrew. Our eyes were fixed on the boy as AA continued his long story.
 ., ,".Euris brought a specimen from -' the new vein and he said he figured he was entitled to a 5o-5O share in - the profits. He has some claim. of --ceurte. but when dad realized F'urie had violated Uncle Jerry's tomb he went crazy. What else had Furis donA or found in the mine? We'll, -Fprie had found gold-mounted .45 anA .:a paAsel O bones One of the back rib bones had a bullet stickin' In it. Dad must have gone mad for the moment. Where was the gun? Furte had sold 1t that morning. Dad ssisAd him by the throat. To whom -K4A hs sold 1t? That suave old :" stitk, Nathan Hyde, it seemed. Dad SRpNe ta the telephone, but Hyde .H&4 Alyeady sold the .45 to you. v '.Fufi1 was whinpering and snarl- 'iAt on the floor where dad had dfepp4A him. But he was scared aAl NA must have got it into his head that dad was ravins because or the value Of the pistol. Anyhow. he puilAd out the contents of one of his : tfeussrs pockets and planked them .'4awn on the desk. That's the price -.o' the Six gum Among the trash niixsd up with the money was a bit ~ef metal. Furis bounced on it. An l. Aaf's the bullet that wuz stuck in .1tC rib!' he shouted. Dad got the >-sAeck of his life, then. It had never occurred to him in all these years tAaE Jerry hadn't committed suicide New. if Jerry had killed himself ~stAs bullet would be gold.
 Tt was lead!"
 I sat bolt upright in my chair and Deacon all but leaped out of his. "' Dad was stunned. He put Furie out. It meant upsettinE the as. .. sumptions of . lifetime. but he soon got 1t straight. Do you see it. Uncle John?"
 ''See it?" I shouted. "Of courss I ses 1t! And so does Deacon Lundy hired Dillon. the ex-FIinker- ten msn-. to trap Jerry. Dillon go, him and double-crossed Lundy b, -;. psrsuadtng or forcing Jerry to go ir with him on something bigger Jerry agreed and he was caught Lundy naturally set Dillon on guard outside the mine. As soon as tn. crowd had gone, Dillon spoke ts :. Jerry. told him to push out the ke, your father had thrust under tn. door. Jerry. thinking he was to b. . freed. obeyei. Dillon opened tn. deor and shot him.
 Why? Because he reasoned tha when Jerry felt . rope around hi neck he'd try to save his own Tiff, by exposing the plot and naming his aecomplice. Dillon saw no dan der in shooting Jerry. He woult v report he had heard a shot in th, mine. The miners and your fathe would find the door locked. the ke, under it. and Jerry dead with hi brothers pistol at his side, on chamber exploded. Being a strans CT. he probably knew nothing o Peterson's gold bullets and he req soned his alibi was perfect.
 But before Dillon could get hol, Of Jerry's sold-mounted pistol an. discharge it to account for the bu1 let hole in Jerry's body, Jerry, wh was mortally wounded. managed {, - put a bullet in him. The impac knocked Dillon down. Jerry was dy ing. but he penciled those fev words we found. slowed them ava, in the cartridge case. and reloade, the gun. I expect he reasoned lik this: If he concealed it in an unex ploded cartridge Peterson wa bound to see that the cartridge ha, = been tempered with. as soon as h Peterson would leave the soldie broke the gun to replace the empt shell. It never occurred to him tha his weapon Jerry died a minut Or 50 later.
 . Dillon now came to himself. See ing that Jerry was dead. he crawle, out of the mine, locked the door !. thrust the key under fl, and too, himself off. Are these the. conclI sions your father came 10. Jerry 2"
 Just about. Uncle John"
 And you, Henry"
 I'd like 10 hear about the youn, mans departure from his home tn