Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-09-22

was missing DuC as well knew that the
letter containing the money had been duly
receiv i at my store, gave him credit for
it.
"Before again saw my clerk I made a
thorough investigation of such matters as
bore upon the case within my own knoWi-
edge. [ found by my diary that I was at
work in the wooden mill on the eighth day
of January. Gibson mailed his letters at
Montpelier on the fifth. Of course the letter
which [ saw in my counting room, when ]
accidentally dropped in there on the after
noon Of that eighth day, was the very
letter. left that letter, with the money
in it-and now, what had become Of it I !
learned, to my perfect satisfaction, THAT
after l went out On that afternoon no one
else entered the count ng-room until Sayers
came in. There was but one conclusion
before me. George Sayers must have taken
the money! And thus I reasoned:
"When my clerk came in. and found
| those letters upon the desk, he supposed
tkat the boy had left them there and he
! did not dream that had been there before
!
have brought the parts of the wafer so
nicely together, that my clerk did not
notice that the seal had been broken. When
his eye rested upon that money, how easy
for him to take it, and destroy the letter,
and, in case it was missed, to lay the blame
upon the mail; for the mail did sometimes
make mistakes. 1t appeared to me an abso-
Lutte certainty that the money must so have
gone. And this was not all. l learned
that George had recently been spending
considerable money in repairing his
m others house.
Gin the evening, after all others had
gone, and the outer doors had been closed.
I called George into the counting-room.
and once more asked him concerning that
letter and that money. He paled and
trembled, and declared that he knew moth
ing of it. [ told him how I had seen that
very letter, and how had left it upon the
desk with other letters. The other letters
were all accounted for, but not that one.
| Still he declared that he knew nothing OF
it. I told him that he had been spending
considerable money Of late. He started rs
though 1 had struck him.
s.M1. Dawson he said. his whole frame
quivering with excitement, "what money
have used was honestly mine"
81 asked him where he obtained it.
'Never m1nd,' he quickly answered.
And then he informed me that he would
answer no question outside of the store
while such q charge was resting against
him. He declared that he had served me
truly and faithfully; and that he had taken
pleasure in so doing and he wondered
how l could accuse him Of such thing.
81 remember that I gave him a stern
answer. and he,s in return, indicated
himself in manner that offended me. l
became impatient and demanded that he
should make restitution. l know that my
manner was naughty and overbearing, and
the youth resented it. In the end l in
formed him that needed his services no
| more; and I told him him that out of con-
sideration for the feelings of his mother and
lister, l should not bring him to justice.
In short, I turned him from my employ,
and the cause Of my so doing could not be
hidden from the people of the town. can
not tell you what he said to me. With one
breath be would plead his innocence in
tears; and with another breath he would
denounce me in the bitterest terms for my
treatment of him.
'sMrs. Sayers came to me to plead for her
! boy ; but she had no powe. to make me
WAIVER in my determination. | explained
| to her the evidence had of his dishonesty;
and though she could not believe her son
guilty, still she could not tighten the weight
of testimony against him.
II engaged new clerk, and put the
mi ssing five hundred dollars to profit and
loss' Sometimes I wondered if, by any
possible means, George Sayers could be in
nocent. But I could not see it. My new
clerk was not worth half as much for bust
ness as George had been and doubted if
could find another to fill the place as it had
been filled.
ssOf course, could not be ignorant OF
the movements of young Sayers alter he
left my store. At the end of month he
found employment in a distant town; but
he didn't remain there long. The story Of
his disgrace finally followed him, and he
was discharged. He came and tried to
work on a farm, but his health failed him,
and he was sick nearly all the following
winter. In the spring, his mother came
to me and asked me if 1 could not help
her boy. She said he was entirely broken
down in spirit, and she feared some worse
fate nil hit befall him. But l would not
put forth my hand, until George would &C
knowledge his error if he would come
forward and confess his crime, and prom
Use some sort of restitution, might do
someth ng for him. The widow turned
from me sad and mournful. knew that
she suffered; I knew that the gentle sister
suffered ard knew that George Savers
was in danger of the wine cup. But what
could | do had taken my stand, and [
could not depart from it.
Gin the month of May, made up my
mind that l would take a partner; l did
not find clerk to suit me, and I fancied
that could do better to take in q man
| VINO WOuIO te0l I'LL equd1 lnIelonl Will HIS.
| NV brother-in-law was anxious to come in,
and partial arrangements were made to
that effect I took an account of all my
stock, and then went into my counting
room to overhaul my private papers. In
the pigaon-holes of my cabinet were letters
which had been accommodating for two or
three years, and thought it about time
to destroy those which were Of no use !;
and one evening I sat down to the work.
Rv and by I came across some old letters