The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-11-09
HIDDEN VALUABLES.
The Curious Places in Which
Wealth is Concealed.
Treasure Stored Away i'm Old Stockings,
Brick Ovens and Wagon TOps-The Pc
cuIiar Ways of the Covetous
and Cranky"

"1Ve had a good deal of experience
in hunting for money that folks have
concealed" said a gentleman visiting
at Park street in Lewiston the other
day, land just as lief tell you what ]
know about it as not"
Fifty years ago folks, especially
the elderly people. took the utmost
pains to hide money. Old stockings,
brick ovens, old wagon tops, china
tea-pots, the tops of bedsteads, hair
cloth furniture used always to come in
for big share of investigation after
the dear departed had turned up his
toes and had been laid away. From
that moment, as YOU well know, the
hunt began. and folks rummaged the
house and pulled open the feather beds
in search of the silver sinners, the
beautiful yellow boys or the crisp bank
notes that it was supposed the lament
ed deceased had left behind. [ sup
pose that this instinct of concealing
wealth and of searching for it was bred
out of well founded suspicion of the
safety of the old-time savings banks,
and they were rascally things, as |
well know. Of course the hiding in
stinct was transmitted from father to
son. and in my way of reasoning the
war of the rebellion had more TO do
with stopping this foolish plan of hoard
ing money than any other one thing.
1t opened up more old stocking legs
and old colonial gold than hundred
g a 4
yet don't doubt, from my own expert
ence, that there are countless stores of
gold buried in places in Massachusetts,
and Maine to-day.
Il could count up any quantity of
families who believe that a secret
hoard, left by mysterious deceased
ancestor, exists somewhere for them.
believe that Captain Kidd's treasure
is awaiting the coming of somebody
keen enough to discoverit, don't you?'
And here the gentleman in the arm
chair winked mysteriouSly, laughed at
his own conceit, and continued:
"A funny scheme. in which | once
came pretty near being interested. was
a stock company formed in Pennsylva-
MIA, where | was then living. 1t was
designed to make a speciality of hunt
ing up concealed treasures. | did
some work for them and a partner and
were pretty successful there and in
New York State
"HOw do you 90 TO work?"
We'll. it is hard TO say. You have
to be guided by circumstances. Strange
mental freaks exist i'm some families.
You perhaps know people who are
built the wrong way. | used TO know
Lewiston family of misers. extremely
narrow and stingy, and yet would take
no care of the hay in the field or the
cattle in the sail. We had to sort OF
learn human nature. Get first at the
habits of the man whose wealth YOU
are seeking To find. Its the best clew
you have.
Il once was called by the friends of
an insane man 10 look after his money.
He had hidden it while supposedly
in his right mind, and when
the symptoms of his insanity came
the money could not be found,
and he could not be induced TO divulge.
The family began to suffer for want of
funds. and they tried TO starye him
into telling, but that only seemed TO
please him. When | was called /
was puzzled. He wouldn't talk on
the subject. but the moment il
was mentioned at once flew into
a passion laid in wait for him, and
didn't discover him doing any thing
that would lead to clew. | finally
rugged a plan, and one day showed
him suddenly roll of paper with a
bill around it so that it looked like 4
wad of money, remarking rs did so:
we stumbled on your hidden pile the
other day
HE gave one quick glance.
1t was directly into the corner OF
the room near the floor. He then
shouted, You lie,' and laughed glec-
fully at me. | had him guarded that
night, and while he was asleep we
pulled aside the carpet and discovered
panel i'm the wall and in it his wealth.
was sure that we would find it in the
room. for L knew that he would not be
satisfied TO stay in any place where he
could not be in sight of his hidden
treasure.
Il was once sent TO take care of 8
curious case in Massachusetts. 1t was
twenty years ago. A wealthy man was
stricken with paralysis. He was about
to deposit some twenty-nine Thousand