Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-07-07

| 1879 the sum of 1856 was missed from
the drawer :. IN the summer of 1870 $500
mysteriously disappeared, together with
a quantity of gold coins which had been
in the family for over century. On
the 2Gth day of March last Miss Smith
loaned a neighbor $500, giving him her
check and he signing note in her IA
yOr. Sickness. prevented his presenting
the check at the bank at Columbus, and,
learning that Miss Smith was going to
that city on. the 30th, he requested her to
get it cashed, She did So. apd returned
with Mollie about dark on that day, hav-
ing the money all in one hundred-dollar
The house was all securely locked
down stairs, and Miss Smith deposited
the $500 in the secretary drawer, closed
the drawer, locking. it and placing the
key in the bursau drawer beneath. She
then locked the room containing the bu-
reau, and placed the key under some
quilts that lay in a wardrobe in her bed
room. Before retiring she locked her
bedroom door, and she and Mollie retir-
ed for the night in separate beds in the
same room. The next morning. April
1st, the neighbor who had borrowed the
money, having long journey to per-
form, during which ne expected to make
a payment on some land purchased, call
ed as early as five O'Clock, before Miss
Smith and Mollie had arisen.
awakening Miss Smith, she took her
key from the wardrobe, unlocked the
bedroom, then taking the bureau draw
er key from the under drawer of the
secretary, opened this to find the money
gone. She went down stairs; everything
was locked and bolted as she had left it
the night before"
t"Who took that money p
. "That was the question that confront
ed me. There were no signs Of burgla-
ry; no lock forced, windows and dOUrs
all right. No one else in the house but
Miss Smith and Mollie. OF course, l
at once examined the girl. She talked
freely, said she always had preSenti-
nsnt that the money would be stolen
in fact, had a presentiment that hight,
but feared to tell the old lady for fear Of
alarming her. l soon learned that Mol
lie had key which fitted the bedroom
&C nj aiming the bureau, hence my sus-
picions were strengthened that M0llie
had arisen in the night, either unlocked
one in the wardrobe, and, securing the
money, bid it either in or out of the
house without awakening the old lady.
finally told Mollie that l should have
to search her, and make a thorough ex-
animation of the house.
"'Well,' she naively remarked, if you
do find any money about the, house it
won't prove that stole it, will it ?"
"'It will be prima facie evidenee,I
said.
81 locked her up in her bedroom and
began thorough search; band-bOxes
pried into, bureau drawers pulled
out, cupboards ransacked, and finally
went through her own room. Under the
carpet under her bed found in 3 COM
pact wad twelve one hundred dollar
bills. Now the total amount known to
be missing was only 81, 1,045. Where had
the $l55 come from? Where had the
gold coins gone to? Was the bureau
drawer paying interest on its deposit?
"'NOw I've got you MOllie, as con-
frented her.
"Mollie tainted.
"a bottle of camphor and little cold
water brought her speedily to, yet she
sturdily proclaimed her innocence.
81 didn't take Miss Smiths money;
no, did not she convulsively exclaim-
ed between her sobs.
Miss Smith would not allow ma to
take her to Jail, where reasoned con-
Iinement would compel her to confess.
"My work, however, was but partial
ly done, for the gold coins had to be
turned up.
II determined that those coins must
be in the house and resolved upon q
search from cellar to garret.
The cellar disclosed nothing, and at last
[ stumbled upon small stairway lead
ing to the garret, the door to which was
q common trap door, securely fastened
by paddock, to which was attached
three links of a chain.
"'Givs me the key said to Miss
Smith, to that trap-dOor up in the at
Bic.'
81 'Oh, no use looking up there, the
Keys have been lost for over five year,,
and no one has ever been up there since.
There were eobwebs on the door, but
noticed that over the crack of the doors
edge they appeared to have been broken
away, caused by the door having been
recently opened. With an ak speedily
got the door open and saw large foO:-
prints in the dust. By the aid of lamp
followed the course Of the tracks over
The boards which lay across the Shaky
,afters to the furthest part OF the gar
yarret, where, over an old crosS-be2m,
lung pair of old-faShioned saddle bags.
The dust on the bags had been recently
disturbed. In one Of the pockets
found the five one hundred dollar bills
which disappeared on the night of the
10th of May, the 1855 that was missed
n ahe summer of 1869, the Sao0that was
ost in 1880, and, better than all, the rare
I'D gold coins upon which Miss Smith
yet such store as an heirloom. had
'onnd the money, but / found 81 200 too
much. The mystery deepened.s re-
iolved upon one thing, and that was that
Mollie must know something about the
money that was hid under the carpet be-
,eath her bed. talked kindly to her;
old her that Miss Smiths money had
N been found, and urged her to tell me
low the 81 400 came under the capet OF
Ter bed.
"You will not believe me If I tell
rou, but if Miss Smith viii go out l Will
Explain. Iput that money there; 1t was
ny lovers. He had saved it out Of his
wages and given it to me to keep. Ide-
'trOyed his letters, for fear my aunt
would find it out. There's the story.
"'But how did the old lady's money
ret into the garrett
"iShe carried it there herself. She was
somnambulist, and walked in her
'lesp.'
allow do you prove it, Mr.. Norris?
Did the old lady let you you occupy the
bedroom and catch herr"
20, no. got the old lady to take off
Ter shoe and stocking and place her No.
foot down on sheet of white paper.
With lead pencil 1 marked out her
'oot on that sheet of paper. With
. pair of scissors carefully cut out the
,xact shape of the old lady's foot, which
itted exactiy in the tracks in the dust
-, tha .,arrof hoards Resides that Mol