The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-12
AND HERE Is YOUR JUDGE,

| From the New Orleans Comm ercal Bulletin, May
| 30, 1901
MIR. E. LEWIS BANK BOX.
How Portion of its Contents was Re-
! covered.
| Our readers will recollect that some time
in December last the bank box of Mr.. Eu-
gene Levy was stolen from the banking
house Of Pike, Brother 4 Co. Suisse
quently a suit was instituted by Mr.. Levy
to recover from the bank the value Of the
| property lost, and n the course OF the trial
| the following testimony was elected, show
ing how portion of the contents of the
stolen box was recovered. We leave our
readers to draw their own conclusions.
| Mr.. Levy, being sworn, answers to inter
rogatory:
Q. Did you take any trouble to recover
those articles !!
A. Yes, sir; l neglected my business and
worked for some time afterwards, and
worked night and day, to trace this matter,
among thieves, detectives, and other bad
characters. On Christmas Day, after a
great deal of maneuvering, l succeeded in
forcing settlement at the hands Of Judge
Atocha. He was on that day the custodian
of the contents of this box.
q. Did you pay any rewards?
A. Yes, sir.
u. What reward did you pay
A. Mr.. Pike and myself issued an adver-
tisement Offering thousand dollars reward.
| paid a proportionate reward $4,000 to
Judge Atocha on this occasion.
G. (By counsel for defendant), A. A.
Atocha.
A. Yes, sir.
Q. (By counsel for defendant), The law
yers
A. A lawyer, so-called.
@. How much did you pay for advertising!
A. Over a hundred dollars. ! put it at a
hundred dollars, making an estimate before
the bills came in. l forgot to state, also,
that with regard to the articles recovered,
that on subsequent occasion | recovered
that pair of sleeve buttons-the only article
Of iewelry brought back. This was dis
covered with some articles of jewelry that
we're stolen from the Planters Consolidated
Bank, which merely proved the identity Of
the band Of robbers who perpetrated both
rObberics.
Upon cross-examination, and in reply to
the question, How he recovered portion
of the contents of this box Mr.. Levy said !:
A. On the morning of the 14th, the day
after the loss took place, person came to
me and said, in rather vague manner, Il"
thibk you will hear something Of your box
by applying to Judge Atocha."
".
A. think it might be detrimental to his
position, possibly, to mention bis name. I'M
less you specially desire it.
@. Yon were told if you would apply to
Judge Atocha you would get back the box
which had been stolen the day previousi
A. On tsday, the 14th, the day after the
robbery, at about 10 o'clock, Mr.. you know
who it is-told me by calling at the Office OF
Judge Atocha, on Commercial Place. l
would hear something of my bank box.
went, accompanied by my father, Mr.. j. l..
Levy, a very well known merchant Of this
city. l mentioned the subject to Judge
Atocha. He gave me the hope that the re-
covery Of every paper could be accom-
plished. In the course of this interview he
obtained from me, by adroit questioning,
all he information concerning the contents
OF the box. the negotiability Of the securi
ties also general description, number and
valuation Of the articles, sleeve buttons and
diamond ring.
He had at his hand one Of those circulars
which had printed on the night of the 18th,
a rough statement of the loss, not pretend
ing to be exactly accurate, (witness pro-
dnced circular marked "Ce), to which he
referred in the course of this interview. He
disagreed with me as to the valuation of
certain articles, and pumped" me very dry.
He concluded the interview by answering,
we must be patient, and might expect the
papers at any moment. 1t was on this morn
ing that l had issued one hundred printed
hand bills, describing with tolerable accu-
racy the contents of the box; one OF these
be had, referring to it constantly. met At
ocha on the street several times afterwards.
He invariably assured me that he was on
the point of success.
But such matters a. mine required the
most delicate fnesse, and must be patient.
Thus the affair dragged until Friday, the
oath. at 4 p. NJ, when Atocha called on me
and said that he could get the papers-not
the valuables-for he had assured me, in the