Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-05-09
An Extraordinary Discovery

"Whcn was youngstci and asked
my father for money he uscd to tell me
that money didn't grow on bushes, and
until the summer Of 1881 believed
him." said u we'll known resident of
Bcllcyilic, whose petty cottage over
looks the placid Passaic. 81 changed
my mind in tha; year, however, upon
discovering, to my extreme satisfaction,
that at least on one occasion money
could be picket from bushes with a.,
much case as ! could pick ripe usr-
berries. 1t WAS on the Fourth of july,
aud on that day the woolcock season
opened. WAS on: carly with my setter
Belle, and VIC crossed Tic river TO p'ci
up some birds that had located IN the
little strip Of nilcrs II short listanc,
above the jersey Gay water works. II
was "A dry season. and the birds were
thick along the river, hnv.ng been
driven there Ivy lack o. moisture along
the mountain brook, and i'll the WOO Is.
ii ila,i kiiic! I,ur birds, when Belle
came toward me Ni,i. $40 bill in her
mouth. You may imagine NV surprise
iook lie ii ii,m the Intelligent
brute, ~ mined il, and lould il moist
~iiii dew bu, perfectly good and
w.o'c.
'''fGu know u Snod thin: when YOU
see il, Belle | sail. q. and see If
there i, ANY m nc like it there, and she
started II a, ii bri ktrt. watched
her IN SAW her spring up and pluck
something from a Lush in the ihichct
a moment later she IVES NJ my feet with
$50 note in lcI mouth, holding it rs
tcn'irriy as she would II bird. VA.
utterly astoni,hcd, and plunged wildly
into the ia ckct, regardless Of the cat
br.crs and other thorn, which cl ung 10
me like The hands o: dr,wl;ns m,n.
hal not gone % feet brlorc | saw Il
$40 Till mpalcd OF Il thorn Of n Will
app tree and iusi ahcnd WAS another
sprout decorate like "a Christmas tree,
with bills on every III ,rn
al went right 10 wOrI gathering in
the fruit. Tncrc were tens, twcntlc,.
fiitios and hundreds twisted around The
twigs, stuck on ihorns, or crowded in
10 the crot chcs Of limbs. Several bills
were scattered over The ground near by,
and while WAS gathering them Bell
brought in ten and TWEEN from
some distance ahead. heard Gun.
shot some distance behind me, and ii
spurrcd me OH to extraordinary indu
try while the money markc; was easy.
l plunged ahead, picking bills from
the Lushcs as ! went along and showing
them into the pocket OF my shooting
coat. ] came across two more little
trees trimmed with grcenbacks, and
then located q regular savings bank
lost in the woods. 1t was Il big black
locust, with n trunk ten inches in di.
ameter, completely covered with bunch
es of cruel thorns down 10 within a
foot of Q ground. The tho.ns we're
plastered all over with bills, many of
which were stained with blood from
the fingers Of the person who placed
them there. believe l picked 10
$500 from this tree, and not bill
WINS less than a five.
down near the foot of the tree was
fiuttcring strip Of blue silk, evidently
the hem of a woman's dress. Up to
this moment had been too busy to
think, but this rag set me to wonder
ing. How on earth could woman gel
into that thicket, I thought, and get.
ting down on my knees found the
prints of narrow, sharp heeled shoes il
the moss covered turf. 1t was a woman
sure, and after securing the last note ii
sight folio owed the trail, picking from
tho bushes on either side of tho way al
occasional bill. A hundred yards from
the locust tree, the track led to thu
edge Of the. river between two waite
Willows, and in the soft mud for severa
feet from the shore I could see foo
prints loading out towards the channel.
I went back through the willows an'
( assured myself that the tracks were no
doubled. and then I walked up ant
down che rivers edge for quarter of
,,nile Hunting forSfurther traces of tn
| piniao boots. There wore none, and