Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1883-09-20
CONCEALED WEALTH.

The Curious Places where Money lrRS
Been Found when hidden or Lost.
81 have been sent for very often in
my time" said and elderly New York
detective, to Sun reporter, Ito search
for money concealed by eccentric peo-
pic There was more of this hiding of
cash forty years ago. than there is now,
owing probably, to the doubtful char
! acter of some of the old savings banks.
"Some fifteen years ago, | went up
to farm house in Orange county, at
the request of the heirs, to look for
money. The deceased had no striking
characteristics for my purpose. and
after trying several lines of search for
three days, grew doubtful. His riding
saddle had been ripped open. his boot
neeIs knocked off for diamonds, his
shoes split up and his upholstery pull
ed TO pieces. Bricks had been taken
out, the hearth torn up, and the vain
scotings pulled down. Even the back
boards of picture frames had been
taken out, and the boys had dug around
the roots OF every tree in the orchard.
but still no money had been found
The reward was too large to lie lost.
but l was nearly at my wits end.
Finally the thought came like flash
Where was the old gentleman in the
habit Of sitting? | asked. oh, he al.
most always sat by that window said
the brother; but we've pulled every
thing to pieces around there sit
down just as he did The man SAT
down. In which direction was he
most apt to look?' Nowhere in par
ticular; out of the window, generally.
Toward the barnY No, this way L
followed the look; it was in the line of
an ola used-up pump Which way
did he walk when he went out to the
ficld| Over to the pump. and then
made a bee line for the pond These
answers had certain Significance
Men like TO have the place Of conceal
ment in sight, and it is well known
that they viii often walk over money
they have buried, to see that the sod is
undisturbed | had the pump taken
up and excavations made-no money.
The pump was replaced. | entered
the room once more, and stood by the
window Suddenly | saw faint but
peculiar looking mark on the sill; it
was a surveyors point | lined it up
to the pump, measured out to the exact
centre of the line, and the digging be-
gan. A two-inch steam pipe was
struck at depth of four feet. The
end was plugged; l took home $500
bill that night"
Il bad curious case two years ago.
A wealthy man had been attacked
with partial paralysis, and his speech
and the greater part of his memory
( had left him. He wrote out the ques-
ton: Where did | put my money!
The amount was large, $4,000 in
bonds, which he had been about to
take to safe deposit building The
heirs were wild, | stopped all the
tearing up and cushion-pricking husi-
ness, for the man was not a 'concealer,
though it was supposed by the doctors
that he had felt the attack coming on,
and had put the money in some out-of-
the-way-place. Just how, or in what
spot in his library he had fallen, could
not be made out. After days rehec-
ton, my partner and had to conclude
that he had been robbed. Two courses
were open to us: we could make sud
den arrests without any real evidence,
always hateful course for a good de-
tective to take, or we must find the ex-
act spot where tie man fell, and line
up from that The doctors helped us
here: You had better examine the
gentleman's body they said. We did
SO, and found long horizontal mark
on the hip, and blue marks on the knee
and elbow. He had fallen sidewise
over an object not over sixteen inches
high, and having narrow, rounded
edge of metal, for an iron mark was
found on the clothing. Every piece
of furniture in the house was inspect
ed, but to no purpose. The heirs ap-
parent were in despair. We took all
night to think the matter over Then
my partner said: How about the Gel
lar? That's where the household metal
is They all laughed. He hasn't
been there in year, they said. We
went down. My partner glanced
quickly around, and then gave me a
look that | can almost feel running
through my nerves to this day. He
had discovered some common house
hold articles which had not been used