The sun., 1879-04-28
THAT FIFTY-D0LLAR NOTE.
MRS. BROWN MAKES A DISCOVERY THAT
MAY CLEAR MERRITT.
Sailor Boy Williams, According 10 this Ex-
planntiou, Gave the Missing Greenback TO
his Wnsherwoman, Instead OF "a Dollar.

evening. that she had Just discovered that Lem
uel Williams had given her n $50 bill. on last
Wednesday evening, Mt her house, by mistake
instead Of a one-dollar bill. Commander Nc
Cook felt sure that this would at once clear both
Williams and Mr.. Clifton A. L. Merritt from any
suspicion arising out Of the dispute at the
Metropolitan Hotel about the supposed
dollar bill which Williams wanted
Merritt to change for him. Accordingly he
teleRraphed summary OF her story to
the hotel. Yesterday this despatch was posted
on the front of the hotel desk. Before II was
received however. Mr.. Merritt had started for
Washington. to persuade Commissioner Stick
ney Of the Indian Bureau. who had stood near
the desk at the time Of the trouble. to come to
New York and be a witness. Mr.. stickney tele-
Rraphed that he could not como until next Wed
ncsday without great inconvenience. and since
Justice Otterbourg had peremptoIily refused to
adjourn the case to n time later than o'clock
this morning. II was thought better that Mr.
Merritt should go TO Washington himself. At
the Metropolitan Hotel there is a great deal Of
rejoicing over the reported discovery OF the $50
bill in Brooklyn.
Mrs. Susan Brown lives in a three-story high
stoop house in Green lane between York and
Front streets. about block and n half from the
principal entrance to the Navy Yard. She pays
tl2 month for the first story and basement
There live with her in her part the house her
nephew. Richard. Mary Hopcraft an elderly
white woman and several other persons. Yes
terday she wore neat black dress with clean
linen collar. and turban Of blue check cotton
cloth. Her face is black. but her features are
unlike those OF most negroes. her lips not being
thick and her nose almost straight. She
was. evidently. a handsome woman Of
her race when she was young. Her neatly
Kept parlor was furnished with. ma
hOgany veneered chairs. sofa, and table in
good condition. and there was "A clean carpet on
the floor On tho walls were many pictures,
lncri,udIng g COPY Of me engraving entitled
coin and his Family" and n colored print Of
The Court of Death" Tn. window curtains
are bent hut she walks with n firm step and
her curlcd hair Ia yet black. When asked how
old she was. she took pair q sp.ctacies from
two full bright eyes. and declared. with look
Of abstraction. that she could not exartlv tell
that. but that during the war Of 1912. whom the
Brooklyn recruits were in barracks at Fort
Greene. she was old enough TO drive a horse up
from Flathush. where she then lived To the fort
with a load Of pies and other eatabes when
friends Of the Faibush recruits had prepared for
them She could remember when the old Sands
Street Methodist Church. the old Catholic
Sands street. and the Dutch Reformed Church
IN JOrNcmOn street were the only four
churches n Brooklyn. soon after she moved
little Methodist Church in II igh street and that
VAS the Il IN: Afterward this church WIS torn
down. and a new one erected In Bridge street.
where Mrs. Brown now attends. She remembers
when Fulton street was so narrow In places that
only one team could pass at time through the
mud One day many years ago, she said. she
was about 10 take some clean clothes hack 10
the officers on the receiving ship Fulton.
for a short time. aud he would help her. In those
days they had no steps on which one could walk
up the side of ship. and when she went aboard
she WINS obliged 10 take hold Of a rope and null
herself up the side with only the aid of cleats 20
step on; The tide was high and the deck OF the
Fulton FAR above the wharf So she agreed To
wait. Aiter the lapse of ten or fifteen minutes
they two took the newly washed and ironed
clothes between them, in basket. and went
down through the navy yard toward the big
ship. When they were within half block Of
her they heard tremendous explosion on
board and in a few minutes the shin was ali
fire. Mrs. Brown said that she aiterward
saw hundreds of dead bodies brought ashore
could not tell the black men from the white
men. She explained that there WIS hngcing ia
had been hogged reck less OF his own lifc took
advantage Of n time when the officers were in
spectng a supper table that had been splen-
didly set In anticipation OF an entertainment on
board that evening and had thrown a lighted
match into the magazine. She has washed for
Frothingham, the shipping merchant. and other
well-knOwn citizens of Brooklyn.
Mrs. Brown. with a similar mir Of honesty and
When the Supply first came in" she said. IN
substantially the language here given, "
went aboard, as | always do, To try To get the
clothes Of the officers TO wash. | saw the coll
ored boy Williams on bonrd, and he probably
then learned who was; Early on last Wednes.
day afternoon he brought me his blankets and
some clothing OF his TO wash. He also brought
n large valise, and the clothing was in large
W. Ph bui ,bn sH1 ne f9 d h9ve TO
start yesterday Saturday for his home in
Charleston. think. At any rate. he wanted me
ready for him Yesterday. He wanted 10 leave
his yalse and the bag there. and asked how
uSh W5eIu ,5p cIari bin 2r tne , wasnE ana ior
he went away satisfied. The next time saw
him was that evening. lust rs II was getting
pretty dark. He came into the basement where
was in q brand new suit ot clothes" MIR.
Devlin's salesman testified that he sold Williams
his suit at or o'clock on that aiternoonl
look in these clothes? 2? | told him they made
him look Ike "A first-class gentleman; He stood
up before the glass. and seemed a. admire them
very much. He had gun and bundle with
him. which he said he mad 10 carry 10 the Stur-
tevant House, in New York for one Of the oni.
GERS. When he was ahnut To - away-it might
have been about o'clocl,-he turned TO me and
said; Mrs, Brown, III paay yoq for those
piece, and rolled up the silver IN the bill rs he
" Now mind. Mrs. Brown be said ns he put
the money in my hand. you have not done ihn
work yet, hut am going To pay YOU now. aud |
want the clothes on Saturday if have TO take
g. took the money in my hand. ! saw the
silver piece was a half dollar before ne wrap
ned II up, ana tNOuEnt the Olll couldn't Oe any
thing except n one-dollar bill. and SO | didn't
unrol the money"
Mrs. brown here produced a clean piece Of
thick white cloth OF the size Of a small handker-
chief.
This" she said " is what put the money
in. had five dollars In il already, and this, us
supposed. would make six dollars and a half
! rolled up the money and put II. as | thought.
into my pocket. but the ends Of my fingers have
kind Of lost their feeling of late years. and II
seems that only put 1t in fold of my dress
Then | said to him;
80 You'd better leave your money II you're
going over to New York
50 Oh, no. he said. / can take care Of myself
I'm livin katy-did.'
That is slang expression among sailors
and means that they are not grecnhOrns. Tho
next morning when went down into the base
ment saw the white rag lying under the end
OF table. near which | had been staining
when | recelYed it, | picked il up and put It
away in n safe place after opening II and seeing
that the money looked Just rs had lett II.
on Friday Richard, my nephew. brought us
the news that Williams had got into trouble
in the Metropolitan Hotel | didn't soc any mora
OF Williams until Yesterday afternoon, Then
he came over here with tall man with white
beard lOnlcer HID. He and the tall man looked
carefully through all his clothes and In the
valise. and the bag for the $50 bill. hut of course
without finding il. and all that time It was really
within Il few feet Of them. After they had been
gone an hour or two. and as the evening WIS
coming on thought would 20 over ana pay "A
nnrt Of T., Mr. lut, nj