The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-28
Young WilIiams,s $50 Bill.

On Wednesday morning LrNiUTL WILL
LIANis, colored boy on the United States
ship Supply, was paid of. The Paymastcr,
with whom, as with the ships officers gem
orally, he seems to he favorite. knew that
the wish Of LEMUELs heart was to take
home n $50 bill to his old mother and he
took pains to give him one-the brightest
and crispest he could find.
Late Wednesday night LEMUEL was found
bya policeman, clingng to a pillar or post
in front Of the Metropolitan Hotel, sobbng
as though his heart would break, crying
out that he had been robbed Of fifty dollars,
and resisting the efforts Of the hotel en-
ployees 10 drive him away.
Before the Magistrate, LEMUEL told very
straight story. He gave an account of his
movements and disbursements during the
day, which was subsequently corroboratod
by other witnesses, at least one Of whom
swore positively 10 seeing the new $50 bill in
the boys possession on Wednesday after
noon. LEMUEL's story, in brief, was this !:
Finding himself in this city at n late hour
without any small money, he went into the
Prescott House To get his $50 bill changed.
The clerk there told him TO go across
the street to the Metropolitan. lie did SO,
made his wants known to the man at the
desk, and handed him his bill. The man
gave him four silver quarters. When he
said the bill was $50 bill the man threw
him out 81 bill. When he asked the man to
look in the drawer. where he was positive he
saw his bill thrown the man spoke to an
other man. who put him out OF the hotel
This man at the desk was Mr.. CLIFTON A.
. L.. L.. 81
nephew Of the Collector Of the Port, and SO
far as appears, a young man of excellent
reputation. His story before the magis-
trato was that the boy handed him twisted
bill, which he UNFINISHED and looked at; that
it was 81 bill; that he did not put it in the
drawer, but laid ii open on the desk; and that
while he had the silver quarters in his hand,
and before LEMUEL could have seen what
| change was to be given him, the latter began
Ia cry out about his mother and beg them not
| to cheat him. Two other hotel employees
were confident that the bill handed by
LEMUEL to the cashier was 81 bill.
What, then, had become Of the $50 bill
1t was not on LENUEL's person; that was
ascertained. 1t WAS not in the hotel drawer;
that was asccrtained. Where was it?
LEMUELs story was true, and n young man
Of honorable antecedcnts had stopped 10 the
mcanncss of cheating n poor colorcd boy
out Of his earnings; or LEMUEL, OF whom
the ships officers speak as a supplemented
and truthful lad, had given the bill to n con-
fedcrate and put up rascally job that a
! hardened criminal would hardly have ven
tured on; or he had lost his bill without
| knowing it; or there was some as yet mex
| plicable mistake. The magistrate Justice
! OTrERBOURG, manfcstly inclined TO the
| first Of these theories.
On Saturday evening" however, an aged
colored washerwoman, well known around
| the brooklyn Navy Yard, knocked at the
door Of Commander MCCOoK, L. S. ~, and
told that officer a strange story. LEMUEL
was in her debt for washing. On Wcdncs-
day evening, about dusk, he called
and paid her rs he supposed and
as she supposed sl5)-tho bil being
wrapped about the silver. On Saturday
evening she was astonished to find
in her little hoard n $50 bill After CON
! suting one or two of her ncighhors rs tC
the gcnuinencss Of the bin, she determined
TO take it 10 Commander MCCOoK. Need
less 10 say that that officer promptly tclc-
Rraphcd the good news TO the METROPOLITAN
! Hotel.
1t seems strange, considering the pride
which LEMuEL took in his bill, that he
should not have discovered his mistake ur
to tho time that he entered the hotel, and
that it should have taken the old woman
three days TO discover it. But much
stranger things happen every week.
II the Paymaster Identities the bill. young