The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-10-04
Where He Hid his Money.


the greater part of his memory had left
did / put my money! The amount was
large, S32, 900 in bonds, which he had
been about to take to safe deposit.
building. The heirs were wild. I
stopped all the tearing up and cushion
pricking business, 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 olt-of-the way place. Just how
or in what spot in his library he had
fallen could not be made out. After a
days reflection my partner and | had
to conclude that he had been robbed.
Two courses were open to us; we could
make sudden arrests without any real
evidence, always hateful course for a
good detective to take, or we mustfind
the exact spot where the 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 a narrow, rounded
edge of metal. for an iron mark was
found on the clothing. Every piece of
furniture in the house was inspected,
but to no purpose. The heirs apparent
were in despair. But my partner and
/ began to be hopeful. In detective
work. whenever you come upon some
detail that seems utterly inexplicable,
that is the thing which of all others
must be explained; and you feel, more
over, that in solving the difficulty you
will come nearer in some unknown
way to your point. We took all night
to think the matter over. Then my
partner said. How about the cellar2
That's where the household metal is. }
They all laughed. lie hasn't been
there in year, they said. We went
down. My partner glanced quickly
around, and then gave me q look that
can almost feel running through my
nerves to this day. He had discovered
some common household articles which
had not been used since the family had
been searching the fireplaces. He was,
in fact, looking over lot of coal hods.
There is our metallic edge, he said.
He turned the hods over carefully, and
from out mass of waste paper there
rolled at last the $32, 900 worth of
bonds. The paralytic had fallen over
the hod, and the money had dropped
into it among his waste papers. Be-
fore the general search was made, all
rubbish had been taken to the cellar.
Our friends had sought too deeply for
what they had supposed to be concealed
money, and had grossly neglected the
science of the obvious. Some detec-
tives do precisely the same thing. Ny
partner and divided So, 900 between us
that night.
Eyes, they hide money in queer
enough places. l have found it in the
covers of old family Bibles, behind
mirrors, in the bored-out legs of chairs,
behind cupboards nailed tightly to the
walls, in false ceilings, ba1usters, pin
cushions, in the lining Of old hats, in
clocks, stoves and bronze images, in
vases with the bottoms covered inside
with plaster of Paris, in black bottles
weighted with mercury and marked
poison, in canes, shoes, and vest lin
ings, in tomato cans and tea canisters,
in cracked walls covered with wall
paper, in all sorts of bedding and up
holstery, and in almost every conceiv-
able place.
''What is the best way to conceal
money? / can't say; but | will tell you
about a man whose method was a good
deal talked about at the time among
the detectives. He was bachelor,
and well known as a seoncealer' He
died of heart disease, in Broome Street,
some years ago. Many attempts had
been made to rob him, but without sue
cess. Thieves ran off one night with
all his clothing, and ripped it to pieces,
only to be disappointed. When he
died, everything was broken mp to find
his money. The cellar had been dug
out to the extent of three feet, the roof
broken apart, and the caves examined
to no purpose. When they were clear
ing out the rubbish, just after Iarrived,
some one knocked down rickety
shelf above the mantlepiece, which was
covered with old letters, medicine
phials, dusty newspaper scraps, and
other worthless rubbish A quarter OF
an hour later one of the heirs, a girl Of
six years, was found seated on the floor
in pile of bank notes, to which she
had vainly attempted to call her
mothers attention on account of their
pretty pictures.
THAT 'concealer' was the only really
deep one / ever knew. The lady paid
a high compliment to the gentleman i
aeuteness when she remarked: why,
no one would ever have thought OF
looking up there for money. inter
vieaO Nth a DetectiUe, IN ". z. Sun.
----@-@ Ss-------
"A Boston gentleman married a
musical and literary lady who was very
charming, but who was wholly ignorant
of and indifferent to housekeeping. He
was very proud of her and exceedingly
fond of displaying her talents to his
friends. One day his brother, a blunt,
keen-eyed country man. paid him a
visit. Leading him into the sitting
room, which was dusty, dirty and dis
orderly. be requested his wife to play
and sing for them Her husband list
ened with great delight to her per-
formance, and, turning to his brother,
said: s.Your wife has no ear for music,
| believe!h t.No, but she has an eye
for dirt!' was the grnff reply.--Bosto1l