The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-01-17
THE YARNS OF A DETECTIVE.
TOLD ABOUT QUEER PEOPLE WHO.
HIDE THEIR MONEY.

Bonds Were Afterward Found.
He was an elderly man of quiet mein,
neatly and modeslly dressed, and he
pulled away at his cigar as il he
thoroughly enjoyed it. IL ever a per-
son exemplfied in every detail of garb
and manner the tradesman of a modest
but assured competence, this man did
who sat looking at the reporter, with a
mild and benevolent CLEAN in his kindly
gray eyes, Il am not surprised" he
said, after the reporter had introduced
himself. that you should have looked
incredulous when you discovered that
was the detective of whom you were in
seach, AS you are pretty young man,
no offense meant, you know, you doubt
less expected to find me person of quite
different appearance. Now, didn't
your
Yes replied the reporter, who furth-
er showed his inexpeTience by accepting
one of the old mans cigars, which was,
to tell the truth-well, not from Cuba.
You want me to tell you about some
of my queer experiences; is that ~ YesI
Well. the queerest experiences that
have had in my career have been those
in which have figured as the profess
l 5lOUhl dedI ICuti lOT uluuch WEALTH.
"As whaiT"
"As the searcher for. aud often the
finder, of money, bonds and o. her props
critics hidden by eccentric persons who
then went and died" continued the
elderly man. little tartly, as though
somewhat put out by the interruption.
| "Seef'
Eyes" said the reporter humbly.
people" went on the detective, ap-
pIrently Modified, "do not hide away
cash and bonds nowadays to any such
extent as they did forty years ago, as
then some Of the savings banks were
p city shaky affairs. Still, there more
of that sort of hiding done even now
than most people would suppose. and
whenever a cashier skips to Canada tea
pots and stockings are again called into
use as the repositories of earthly treasure.
Moreover, they are just as many cranks
in the worll today as there were then
who delight in mystifying their friends
and relatives and gratifying their own
de ire OF seeing their money from time
to time. Such people make heaps OF
trouble for their families, but lots OF
money for men of my profession.
don't know how happened to become a
specialist in this line of detective work,
but suppose it was because | was sue
4 cessfu in the first case | attempted.
Let me see; that was back in the sixties
| was sitting in my office one day, chew
ing the Cud of impecunious idleness -
for wasn't very well known then
when a woman, dressed in widow
weeds, entered. She stated that her hu5'
band had recently died,a she and every
one else supposed, possessed of consider
able property in bonds. Despite sys
tematic search nothing of these bonds
could be discovered. Her lawyer witt
whom chanced to be acquainted and
for whom had once done a good turn
had recommended her to me. She liveC
on Long Island and l accompanied he
home, As she had informed me learn
ed on arrival that ar extended search
had been made, but with no satisfactory
result l learned further that the maj
had not been mserly, and from that
argued that he had not used any OF thu
complicated methods OF concealmen
common to gentlemen of penuriou
.. turn of mind. found that his buslnes
|. had taken him frequently away fron
home, and that he mad formely been I
seafaling man. A thorough search ha'
been made of all his familiar haunls
! Iasked about his Clothes
E Lord masey!" exclaimed his widow
"John wore the meanest duds you eye
= see. We couldn't get him to keep decen
= things on his back"
J. "May see what he had! | asked.
was then informed that after th
8 clothing had been thoroughly searched
;, and ripped aud prodded with knittin
needles, 1t had been given to poorma
=, in the village.
o Il was determined to have thos
Is clothes. for | argued IN this way: Tn
q man wac not miserly, and therefore IN
u not used any extraordinary method
Il concealment; he had been in the hab
d of making short trips from home, an
from that judged he must have carrie
e his money with him. This judgemer
'' was further confirmed by the fact th'
y nothing had been discovered in any
Il the rooms which he had occupied, an
ie that he had been a sailor. Now sailor
VI +, you know, almost always carry the
y; - pay about their persons. This fact cou
led with the others, made me feel mo-
than ever that the money was som
II where in those clothes. Finally the
were brought in, and a pretty seed
~ looking set of rags they were, with OF
Is exception. Around the edges OF Il
coat was broad binding, neatly sewt
10 on, and in much better condition ths
o the rest of the clothes.
10 HE kept his clothes neatly bound, y
,d remarked,
h YES" replied the widow. "John w
~ q good sewer, like most sailor men. L
used to spend a heap of time over tn
bindn." To cut a long story shor
upon ripping off that binding we four
neatly enceased in oil silk five $40
ID bonds. Good guessing you see, was II
method in that case, and it succeed'
better than q systematic search by pc
sons acquainted with the habits of Il
deceased"
Have you had experience IN tindir
treasure which men have hidden aws
from their housesI'
h, eyes, indeed It is a peculiar ia
that criminals will always hide mon'
in out of the way places, and farms
they grow old, if they have accumulate
a anything, are pretty apt TO conceal 1t
ty the u ound near or al some spot on whit
ne they have been in the habit of passiI
ze much of their time. Some twenty yea
is ago / went to a farm up in Fult'
ty county, New York, to hunt for son
property of which it was known an ag
farmer bad died possessed. The ceceas
was a simple old gentleman who hi
been noted for no peculiar characterl
pe tics. He had been careful of his none
but not parsimoniOus, and his busine
operations he had kept to himself. The
was absolutely no clew upon which
OF could work, and, after trying sever
ne different lines of search, was as far {
u from my purpose as when | starte
" In developing my search l had be-
10 aided bv different members of the fami
ne and in our eagerness very little OF Il
OIL furniture in the house was left unspo
IS ed, and the dead mans clothing al
no boots had been literally hacked TO piece
We There was large reward attached
u the discovery, and | wanted it ba
e' Still | was almost discouraged. Final
III [ said would take long walk to seti
IT. nv mind. | took the walk, but my min
'e wouldn't settle worth a cent. In fact
wandered off from every thing but q
right thing. One thing | noticed, al
that was that the farm was beautiful
surveyed. Before | went INTO the dete
IN tive business had been a civil enginet
US and that is why / noticed the fact
lis suppose. Anyway, when ! got back
rd the house asked-why cannot tell "
be who had surveyed the farm. 'Wh
lie farther did" sai one nf the sons. Du
3. ing supper these wDrls kept cJnlii
ho beck to my mind. ~ I'll u Il ishpd up
W me that fathers surveying had I'm
h, thing to do with the place Of conce
ng ment. Where was Mr.. SIN q
'et habit Of sittingY | asked.