The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-14
" CONSCIENCE MONEY"
The Way Some People Take to
Right a Wrong Doing.


E3 day." said prominent merchant of st.
AZ Louis to a reporter @ | was standing in
one of the large dry-goods establishments
when clergyman entered the store and
approaching one of the heads of the firm. to
whom was then talking handed him an
envelope, saying an unknown person had
left it with him, requesting him to deliver it
to the gentleman to whom the envelope was
being handed. On the envelope was written
the two words, Conscience Money and
within the cover was $50 bill After the
clergyman had gone the man who had re-
ceived the strange communication, in answer
tn my query, told me that this was not an
uncommon oc urrence. lie had frequently
received conscience money in this way. He
then explained that this was probably the
amount of goods taken surreptitiUusly from
the shops in spite OF the close surveillance
kept Whoever had taken the goods had
PROBABLY repented and not wishing to make
himself or herself known as thief had
taken this mode of restitution and had given
it TO the clergyman to be returned, knowing
that it would be cOnscientiously done. Some
times such a person does not even see the
clergyman, bnt forwards the money direct,
with the Information that 1t Is conscience
money!"
After the above experience the reporter
learned of a nun Der OF curious cases IN which
an awakening conscience has caused in the
guilty one a restitution of property. Not
very long ago widow was left with several
children. Her husband had been very
wealthy, but she had been robbed by the
man who had managed her affairs. One day
she was in a very dsconsolate mood. She
WIS in need of some money for immediate
use and knew no way of obtaining II again.
At moment when her mind was in the
bluest Of clouds, the do2r-bell rang and
card was brought her. She went 10 the
| paror and found an old acquaintance of her
husbands there. " Madame" he said, g L
have Just collected an old debt that was due
your husband and myself 1t was
SIN HUNDRED DOLLARS,
And it is only just that you should have one
half of it" Thereupon be handed her $500,
which was veritable angel of light to the
bewi d-rtd and impecunious widow. No
definite idea of the alleged debt was given
and she was perfectly aware that 1t was
conscience money" she was receiving.
Tie old friend of her husband had evidently
heard of her present distress, remembere1
some transaction IN which he had defrauded
her husband of that amount and took this
way Of making restitution.
Another instance was that in a robbery
that occurred in handsome house in this
| city. Among the valuabes taken were two
portraits on ivory in very handsome frames.
| No trace of the robbers could be found, but
| several years ago large check was mailed
to the gentleman at whose house the rob-
| berry had occurred, aud the same day, eX-
pressed from Philadelphia, came the two
pictures on ivory with frames untouched.
No card or explanation accompanied either
check or pictures.
About two years ago a well-knoWn So
cety girl OF this city attended local recep-
! ton. While there she Host a valuable
bracelet. Search was made for the missing
article and advertisements also inserted In
the papers, but no response came to the In
| quiries Two years after a strange man
called on the young lady. saving he wished
| to see her moment on business. When he
| entered the recePtion-roon she saw very
| elegant and cultured man, He explained
| that lie was a stranger in the city, and that
| he had promised a friend ofhis, whose name
| he could not give, TO deliver package into
| the hands of Miss herself. This he pro-
| ceeded to do, requesting that she would not
| open the case until he had left the house.
| Relating her experience to her sister after
| the slranger'a departure, the young ladies
suggested dynamite and the other horrible
| fears that the box might contain, especially
noting the fact that he had said not to
open the box until lie had left the house."
The young lady, however, was both
SPIRITED AND CURIOUS
And did open the case despite her sisters
protestations. Within it lay cleaning, in a
new chamoise case, the bracelet that she had
lost at the reception two years before.
Whether the culprit, whose conscience was
| aroused so long afteTwaTd, was in the high
whether woman or man, friend or stranger,
no one could tell. There was word OF
explanation, and the mystery is likely to
| remain forever unsolved-
In Pittsburg one of the bishops there sent
! for lady who was visiting from st. Louis
| and who formerly had resided in Pttsburg.
| lie had 500 awaiting her which had been
| handed to him in the confessional some
months before, with the request that 1t
| should he returned to this lady at the first
| opportune moment. which he did accord
! ingly. or course the clergyman returning
| it never dlvulged the name of the repent
| ant one returning IL, and IN many cases
they do not even know who the person isa
| Not long since the mother of a prominent
merchant Of this city received word that
some one would like to see her at a certain
| hour ON important business. The appoint
| ment Was made, and the next day woman,
| heavily yelled. kept tue appointment
| promptly. She didn't speak a word, but
| put sealed paper package in the lady's
| hand, Withdrawing silently. In the package
was four crisp bank notes. all OF them S5O
! Another instance was when gentleman,
| still associated with the courthouse, and
| who is the oldest official there, was Land
/ Clerk, a position now abolished, Father
| O'Neil, Roman Catholic clergyman,
| brought him 800 one day, which had been
handed him in confession, with the request
There is a lady living in the West End
WHO recently received S25 in mysterious
way. Several years ago whilst visiting at
| friends house she had lost her ocket-b00k.
| She made efforts 10 recover it, but without
avail and she did not know whether the
| money was lost whilst in the house or on
| the street. AS time went by she forgot a i
about her loss, which amounted in al 10 $50.
! A short time since district meSSeng
| brought parcel directed TO her name and
| address. In it she found the same purse,
| even with old memoraudums and some post
| age stamps and watch ley that had been
| III it at the time, but only SIS was in the
| purse. However, note in strange, scrawl-
| ing hand accompanied the package. The
| note read:
Twenty-Five of sixty. More later when
| it can be made. Signed, REMoRsE."
She has never yet received the remainder
| promised butts looking forward to the COM
| municatlon.
One return of stolen property after years
has brought with it a great wave of happi-
| ness. Some years ago Il gentleman died in
the city. While i'll he always kept in his
! bed, and under the mattress purse; it
contained money, but what he valued more.
some important memoranda and notes.
| When he died he was surrounded by people,
| his own family, near relatives, some of the
| old servants of the house and his nurses,
one of them white, the other colored. When
after the funeral the purse with the papers
were searched for it was fou nd missing.
NO CLEw
| Could be found to it, No one could be ac-
cused or even suspected. The man was
counted little loss, but the papers of vast
| Importance. Not long ago the widow re-
| ceived in a mysterious manner the old purse
with the papers. No money was in the
purse, but the papers were all that was
wanted. They were Of no value 20 the per-
son who took the purse, but were of infinite
value to the lady, who was able to trace
valuable properly through them.
There have been many other instances
where conscience money" and articles
have been returned. But the culprits have
| in no case ever been discovered, but the
| load off their conscience must be immense.
| An amusing story was once told in this re-
| gard A gentleman received sos, with
| very soiled card inside the envelope, with
these words written on it:
Il onct stol seventy-fve dollers from yu,
my cOnshens naws me, and lsend yu twenty
five dollrrs. When it naws again I'll send
yu more"
AT last report it had not "nawed," but
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