The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-13

thing that made his heart thump. The
ceiling was of the usual height, but was
made of wood, put in long strips about
ght 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 spot near the center of the
ceiling, on which the dust dld 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 MY an ex-
perienced eye could have dete ted t,
and on getting under this parti, u ar
spot, the detective noticed marks in he
dust as though made by the tip If
human fingers. There was solid cid
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 table,
like the marks that would be left by the.
feet of chair. This additional proof
that he was on the right scent was
strengthened when the detective placed
a chair upon the table. and the feet
exactly fitted the scratches on the sur
face of it. Getting mp on The, chair, lho
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 the 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-
detectives who make lucrative income
searching for these missing treasures.
One of these men relates case where
the deceased had put the money into a
piece of old steam-pipe, and after plug
ging up the ends of the pipe had buried
! it in 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 survevt + )
point on the sill He "lined" it up To
the pump, measured out the exact cen
ter of the line, and began digging The
treasure laden steam-pipe was struck at
depth of four feet.
The old armchair was favorite
place for the secretion of money, and
this piece of furniture is generally
selected by story writers as the recep.
tacle for the fortune OF the peculiar old
grandfather and grandmother. which il
bequeathed to the worthy young couple
When stern adversely SEXES the young
pair they are compelled to sacrifice the
old arm chair. But. lefore it is dis
posed OF, by some mysterious interposi-
ton of Providence. the chair fails, asun-
der and reveals the treasure it has so
long and faithfully guarded. So exten-
siye was this mania for hiding money
in old pieces of furniture that the career
of an armchair bequeathel TO any I'M
pecunious person by an eccentric and
rich relative was Of a brief duration
after coming into the possession OF Is
new owner. The Spanish inquisjf on
was nothing to tie fortunes that that
old chair was subjected to by the god
seekers, but this simple ooncealnen is
not in favor now, and it requires a long
head to ferret out the hiding place Of
the modern miser's money. = NiiwGa8ee
Sentinel.