The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-02-08

eight inches wide. 1t evidently had not
been swept off for years, and layer of
grimy dirt chung to the boards. What
attracted the detectives attention, how
ever. was a spot near the center of the
ceiling, on which the dust did not ap-
pear to be as thick as on the rest of the
boards. The difference in the color of
this spot was so slight that only an ex-
perienced eye could have detected it,
and on getting under this particular
spot, the detective noticed marks in the
dust as though made by the tips of
human fingers. There was solid old
table standing in one corner of the room,
which, though used pretty roughly in
the general ransacking, was still able
to bear the officers weight.
Drawing this to the middle of the
room, he found slight abrasion of the
veneering near the center of the tabls,
like the marks that would be left by tie
feet of chair. This additional proof
that he was on the right scent was
strengthened when the detective placed
chair upon the table, and the feet
exactly fitted the scratches on the sur.
face of it. Getting up on the chair, the
searcher pressed the tips of his fingers
in the faint tracks in the dust, and a
part of board yielded to the touch like
magic, leaving hole about eight inches
square. Inserting his hand through the
opening TIE detective felt around and
drew forth long, narrow tin box. In
this was discovered many thousands of
dollars in United STATES bonds and
greenbacks The detective pocketed a
snug reward.
In the east. where the old -fashioned
idea of secreting money is more preva-
lent than here, there are a number of
detectives who make a lucrative income
searching for these missing treasures.
One of these men relates case where
the deceased had put the money into
piece of old steam-pipe, and after plug
ging up the ends of the pipe had buried
tin his garden. The place was discovered
by the shrewdness of the detective, who
ascertained that the deceased, when GO
ing out anywhere on the farm, would
always walk in one path, toward an old,
used-up pump, and, after reaching the
pump, start for the field. The pump
was taken up and the old well searched,
but the money was not there. On re-
turning to the house the detective went
to the window looking out upon the
pump, and noted a small surveyors
point on the sill. He "lined" it up to
the pump, measured out the exact CEN
ter of the line. and began digging. The
treasLre-laden steam-pipe was struck at
a depth of four feet.
The old armchair was a favorite
place for the secretion of money, and
this piece of furniture is generally
selected by story writers as the recep-
taclc for the fortune of the peculiar old
grandfather and grandmother, which is
bequcathed to the worthy young couple.
When IL adversely SEXES the young
pair they are compelled To sacrifice the
old arm chair. But, before it is dis
posed of, by some mysterious interposi-
ton of Providence, the chair falls asun-
der and reveals the treasure it has so
long and faithfully guarded. So extern
sive was this mania for hiding money
in old pieces of furniture that the career
of an armchair bequeathed to any I'M
pecunious person by an eccentric and
rich relative was of brief duration
after coming into the possession of its
new owner. The Spanish inquisition
was nothing to the tortures that that
old chair was subjected to by the gold.
seekers, but this simple concealment is
not in favor now, and it requires long
head to ferret out the hiding place OF
the modern miser's money.-MilWa,tkee
Sentinel.