Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1890-03-28
An Extraordinary Discovery

An extraordinary discovery
"When / was youngster and asked
my father for money he used to tell me
that money didn't grow on bushes, aud
until the summer of 1881 l believed
him, said we'll known resident OF
Bellevile, whose pretty cottage over
looks the placid Passaic. 81 changed
my mind in that year, however, upon
discovering, to my extreme satisfaction,
that at least on one occasion money
could be picked from bushes with as
much ease as l could pick ripe rasp-
berries. 1t was on the Fourth of July,
and on that day the woodcock season
opened. / was out early with my setter
Belle, and we crossed the river to pick
up some birds that had located In the
Lille strin ai a.derzs- !
above the Jersey City water works. It
was dry season. and the birds were
thick along the river, having been
driven there by lack of moisture along
the mountain brooks aud in the wools.
~ had killed four BIRDS, when Belle
came toward me with SO bill in her
mouth. You may imagine my surprise.
/ took the bill frcm the intelligent
brute, examined it, and fouad it moist
with dew but perfectly good and
whole.
"'You know good thing when you
see it, Belle, | said. Go and see if
there is any more like it there, and she
started fl at a brisk trot. watched
her and saw her spring up and pluck
something from bush in the ihlcket
A moment later she was at my feet with
a $50 note in her mouth, holding it as
tenderly as she would bird. / was
utterly astonished, and plunged wildly
into the thicket, regardless of the cat
briers and other thorns which cl ung to
me lik. - ss-a,ss:d sas,ssds 5 of drowning man,
T I ffad f'i' not gone z1 leet before / saw a
SO bill lmpaled on a thorn Of a wild
app'e tree and just ahead was another
sprout decorated like Christmas tree,
with bills on every thorn.
81 went right to WORK gathering in
the fruit. There were tens, twenties,
fifties and hundreds twisted around the
twigs, stuck on thorns, or crowded in
to the crot ches of limbs. Several bills
were scattered over the ground near by,
and while was gathering them Belle
brought in ten and twen from
some distance ahead. heard a qua
shot some distance behind me, and it
spurred me on to extraordinary indu :
try while the money market was easy.
plunged ahead, picking bills from
the bushes as ! went along and showing
them into the pocket of my shooting
coat. ] came across two more little
trees trimmed with greenbacks, AMI
then located a regular savings bank
lost in the woods. 1t was big black
locust, with trunk ten inches in di-
ameter, completely covered with bunch
es of cruel thorns down TO within a
foot of t ground. The thorns were
plastered all over with bills, many OF
which were stained with blood from
the fingers of the person who placed
item there. l be- l6wj picked vi
$3.50 from this tree, and not bill
was less than fiv5.
Down near the foot of the tree wa
a futtering strip Of b'uo silk, evidently
the hem of a womals dress. Up tc
this moment had been too busy L
think, but this rag Sc. mo to won ler-
ing. How on earth could a woman ge
into that thicket, thought, and get
ting down on my knees ! found ths
prints Of narrow, sharp heeled shoes il
the moss covered tut. 1t was a woman
sure, and after securing the last note IL
sight followed the trail, picking from
the bushes on either side of the way al
occasional bill. A hundred yards from
the locust tree, the track led to th'
edge Of the rlvtr between two waite
willows, and in the soft mud for severa
feet from the shore ! could SEQ foo
prints leading out towards the channel.
went back through the willows anc
assured mvself that tho tracks were no