The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1891-03-14
SOMEWHAT STRANGE.
ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENTS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE
Queer Episodes and Thrilling Adven-
lures Which Show that Truth is
Stranger than Fiction.

calls pleasant incident in his family
history. In 1904 his fa,hcr had on his
farm, at Oldcnburg, Il Dutch dairyman
named Mau. whose house was one day
burnt to the ground The Maus were in
great poverty, and Frau Moltkc, although
blessed with a large family of her own,
adopted their newborn child. Fried
rich Mau, as he WAS christcned, is now
eighty-five years of age. and on the oc-
casion of the Field Marshal's birthday
sent to his foster brother his photograph
and congratulations. The Count has
replied in the following letter, addressed
to Mau's granddaughter: 1T has given
ME great pleasure to understand from
your letter how much my parcnts-al
though they themselves were in trouble
at the timc-were able to help your fami-
iy. Although | was then only six years
old, the sight of the burning buildings
on my fathers farm is indelibly en-
gravcd on my memory. My father lost
nearly everything on that occasion. My
mother brought up nine children. be-
sides stranger-your grandfather.
Gods blessing has been with them, for
nearly all of them have reached old age.
Please remember me to my foster broth
er. your grandfather, and receive my
heartfelt thanks for your kind commu
nication. -Moltke.
CASHIER Stcarns of The Shawmut Bank
of Boston got the better of New Yorker
the other day in little business transac-
ton that involved $50, 900 A check for
this amount had been given the New
York Central Railroad by the Boston
and Albany to settle a balance due the
former for freis hit and passenger charges.
The Central deposited it in the Chemical
Bank in New York. Ordinarily it would
have been settled through the Clearing
House. but some smart official thought he
would get the $50. 900 in crisp bank bills.
Therefore 1t was given to an express
company to collect. 1t was duly pre-
scnted at the Shawmut Bank, but it was
SO unusual a proceeding that the teller
called the cashiers attention to it. The
cashier OWNED the New Workers. game.
and quick as flash decided to give him
as good as he sent. He requested the
messenger to take the check to the Sub
Treasury, where it would be paid in five
minutes. To the surprise OF the express
man, instead of neat packages of bills, he.
received sixty canvas bags. each contain
ing 1910 in silver. He did not want it
that way, but it was legal tender and as
he had no discretion in the matter he had
to accept them. So with the help of an
extra team he carried the specie, amount
ing to nearly two tons--3,600 pounds to
be eyact--to the train. 1t was the largest
amount of silver ever paid out by the
Sub-Trtasury at Boston.
TIE gossips of Vienna were greatly
exercised recently over the report that
a certain Baroness, a member of a wealthy
and aristocrat;c family, had consigned
her entire fortune to the flames a few
days before her death. The Baroness,
who was considered extremely eccentric,
inherited a million guiden in bonds from
her husband. According to the terms of
the will, however. the money was to re-
vert to the children of the husbands
first wife after the death of the Baroness.
According to Vienna papers, not gull
den was % be found in the house Of the
noblewOman after her burial. As she
was known to be misery, suspicion was
aroused at once. Upon investigation,
one of the Baroness's servants admitted
that her mistress had thro', her papers
into the fire a few days before her fatal
sickness. The energetic council of the
heirs, however, did not give up all hope
of securing the treasure. lie sent circu-
lars to all of the well-known banks in
Austria, France. England and Germany,
asking if the Baroness had money on de-
post with them. BY this means it was
learned that papers aggrcgating 600. 900
guldcn, sub jcct tn the Baroncss's order,
were held by English and French banks.
Four hundred thousand gulden, how
ever, had to be given up as lost. 1t is
also doubtful whether the heirs will be
able to secure the money in the banks
without the certificates of deposit.
''Do you see that pocketbook, said
John A. Hamblctou, of Baltimore, the
other day. as he was looking over lot
or paper in his bank; "well, l lost it
four or five years ago. and it was lost
about nine months. advertised it. 1t
is full of memoranda that we're very USE
full, and check in it and $50 in notes.
wanted the finder to keep the money
and send back the book Nine months
after lost it man came in here one day
and asked me if had lost nv pockctbook.
Isaid Yes He took out this book-you
see, it has my nam: written on it-and
he handed it over to me and asked me if
it was mine. | told him it was, and
showed him my name on it. l asked him
how he got it, and he told me he got it
in the confessional-he was q Catholic
priest. He me told me that it was just