Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-26
A DETECTIVES YARN.

dis Speciality Searching for Hidden Wealth
A Coat With $1,000 in 1t.
"You want me to tell you about some o1
my queer experiences; is that it, Vest Well
the querest exper iences that | have had iI
my career have been those in which I have
figured as the professional searcher for hidden
wealth"
LAS whatfn
'As the searchel' for, and often the finder
of money, bonds and other properties hidden
by eccentric persons who then went and
died." continued the elderly man, a little
tartly, as though somewhat put out by the
interruption. "Steln
Yes" said the reporter humbly
People, went on the detective, apparently
Modified, do not hide away cash and bond.
nowadays to any slch extent as they did fort,
years ago, as then some of the savings banks
were pretty shaky affairs. Still, there is more
OF that sort of billing done even now thar
most people would suppose, and whenever @
cashier skips to Canada teapots and stockings
are again called into use as the repositorie.
of earthly treasure Moreover there are Jus,
as many cranks in the world today as there
were then who delight in mystifying Their
friends and relat ives and gratifying Their
O"h NSoilS vi luelI tIlOQeN from TINT
to time Such people make heaps of trouble
for their families, but lots of money for gen
tlemen OF my prof sssion. | don't know how
| happened to become specialist in this line
OF detective work, but | suppose it was be
cause was successful in the first case at
tempted. Let me sec; that was back in the
sixties. was sitting in my Office one day,
chewing the cud of impecunious idleneSs-
for ! wasn't very well known then-when a
woman, dressed il widows weeds, entered.
She stated that her husband had recently
died, as size and every one else supposed, pos
sessed of considerable property in bonds
Despite systematic search, nothing of these
bonds could be discovered Her lawyer, with
whom | CHANGED tn be acquainted and for
whom | had once done good turn, had
recommended her TO me. She lived on Long
Island, and | accompanied her home. As
she had informed me, learned on arrival
that an extended search had been made, but
with no satisfactory result. | learned, fur
Their, that the man lad not been misery, and
from that ! argued that he had not used any
OF the complicated methods of concealment
common TO gentlemen of a penurious turn OF
mind. found that his business had taken
him frequently away from home, and that
he had formerlv been seafarins man.
A thorough search had been made of all his
familiar haunts. l asked about his clothes
Lord massy!' exclaimed his widow,
John wore the meanest buds yoa ever see.
We couldn't got him to keep decent things on
his back"
May see what he hadin asked
was then inform vi that after the clothing
had bern thoroughly searched, and ripped
and prodded with knitting needles, it had
been given away TO a poor man in the vii
lage.
/ was determined to have those clothes.
for l argued In this way; The man was not
misery, and therefore had not used any ex-
traordinary method of concealment; he had
been IN the habit Of making short trips from
home, and from that judged he must have
carried his money with him. This Judgment
was further confirmed by the fact that notQ
ing had been discovered in any of the rooms
which he had occupied, and that he bad been
a sailor. Now, sailors, you know, almost
always carry their pay about their persons
This fact, coupled with the Others made me
feel moro than ever that the money was
somewhere in those clothes. Finally they
were brought in, and q pretty seedy looking
set OF rags they were, with one exception
Around the edge OF the coat was broad
binding, neatly seweo on, and in much better
condition than the rest of the cloth.
He kept bis clothes neatly bound" re
marked.
Yes" replied the widow, John was a
good sewer, like mott sailor men He used
TO spend heap Of time over that bindin'."
10 cut long story short, upon ripping of
that binding we found neatly incased in oil
SILK five $1,000 bonds Good guessing, you
see, was my method IL that case and it sue
ceeded better than systematic search by
persons ACQUAINTED with the habitx Of the de-
csaSed.-Now York Press