Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-10-08
LOST VALUABLES,
HOW the Finder of Treasures May Unwst
tingly Become a Thief


Black, of the Belvedere House, and
received reward of S5 for his trouble,
illustrates the small amount usually
given in such cases. The Penal Code
compels the finder of valuables to en-
ploy every effort to ascertain the owner,
but does dot provide any compensation
for the time and trouble so given. Sec
ton $50 of the Code reads: "a person
who finds lost property under circum-
stances which give him knowledge or
means OF inquiring as to the true
owner. and who appropriates such
property to his own or to the use of
another person who is not entitled
thereto without having first made every
reasonable effort to find out the owner
and restore the property to him is guilty
of larceny"
Under the Law of Finding" it
continues. the finder has a clear title
against the whole world except the
owner" This point was settled by the
Kings bench over a hundred years ago
in the following case: A man found a
wallet conta ming valuables in the office
of hotel. The finder left the wallet
with the landlord, who was to adver-
tse the fact of the finding and do
what he could to return the property
At the end OF the year the owner had
not appeared and the finder claimed
the property. This the landlord refused
to surrender on the ground that the
wallet had been found on his premises.
The master was tried in the Engl sh
courts, and 1t was held that the finder
was the owner, and the property was
given to II N. 1t was further held that
no proIrietors of coaches, railroad
cars, or shops have the right to de-
mand property which should be found
on their premises. This, however did
not govern employees, who might be in
structed in such cases by proprietors of
public conveyances or hotels. 1t was
even decided that policemen or NUM-
.cipal officers had no authority to de-
mand or receive property found by
others. unless the right is conferred by
special statute.
In some States the law compels the
finder OF sums of five dollars or more
to advertise the fact and deduct the
the cost of such advertising from the
amount found. But in New York city
an agency has been established tor the
lost property. This bureau is at the
police headquarters. and is highly
useful institut. on for losers of valua-
bles. During the year, according to
the officers OF this department, there is
brought in on an average 100000
worth OF property which has been
found about the streets of New York,
or recovered from pawnbrokers by the
police. OF this amount $500, 900 is re-
turned to the owners, and of the. re-
naming 100000 about $50, 900 is I'M
called for aud goes to the finders.
There is still balance of about Sl0,-
600, which ut the end of every year is
sold at public auction. The proceeds
of this sale are turned over to the PEN
sion Bureau, and are regularly relied
upon by that bureau.
The department of finds was instituted
several years ago, and has been instru-
mental in restoring many millions of
dollars worth of bonds. money, valu-
able papers, and miscellaneous proper
ty to the owners. Through the eff
forts of this bureau a great deal of
stolen property which finds its way to
this agency through the channels OF
the police department has been re-
stored after months of inquiry for
the owners. The diligent search which
is constantly being made among the
pawn-shops and the resorts of thieves
by the direction of this bureau, has
been the means of experimenting sew
eral noted bank-robbers and profess
sional thieves. There have been many
valuable diamonds and large sums Of
money recovered and restored to
prominent men and women who have.
3
ingenious robberies.
One of the most noted eases which
has come within the province of the
department of finds is that of Miss
Roebling's diamonds. which were lost
from the safe of the Adams Express
Company some seven years ago. The
enormous value of the d iamonds andthe
prominence of the part es connected
with the loss served to increase the
interest in the affair. The facts in this
noted case were these:
Mr. Roebling, the builder of the
Brooklyn bridge. purchased an elegant
set of diamond earrings. breastpin.
and ring. and gave them to his daugh-
ter Shortly after the purchase one of
the diamonds became loose. and the
whole set was returned to Tiffany for
resetting Miss Roebling was at
Newport at the time, and when
the gems had been repaired
they were forwarded to that
place by the Adams Express Company.
They failed to reach Newport, and Tiff
fany & Co. were notified. They threw
the responsibility upon the expressmen.
A careful search was instituted but no
traces of the gems were found. Several
employees OF the company We're sus-
pected and accused. The various lines
of the company were informed of the
loss in the hope that the package had
miscarried. Several detectives We're
employed, but the disappearance of
the diamonds remained a mystery. The
department of finds was finally notified
and description of the jewelry given
to the officers of that branch of the
police service. a systematic search
was instituted, which resulted in the
recovery of the gems. The officers of
the bureau found that a boy had picked
up the shining stones in the street.
where they must have fallen from the
wagon of the express company or from
the pocket of the THIEF. The boy, not
knowing their value. had taken them
to pawnbroker and offered them for
sale. The broker saw at glance the
value OF the gems, and accused the boy
of having stolen them. He SO frightened
the boy with his threats that he ran |
with the pawnbroker and not daring |
to mention the find. Despite the eff
forts of the broker to conceal the gems |
and the silence of the finder the de- |
partment succeeded in recovering the |
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