Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-04-11
NEW Works. SEWERS.
Articles OF vaIue That Are Found-Lost
Money Recovered.

Articles OF value That Are Found-Lost
Money Recovered.
The sewers of New York have little
romance eff their own in the curious ar
tieles that ara found in them. Scarcely
a receiving basin is cleaned out or one of
the big pipes thoroughly scraped of its
coating of mud and heavy refuse but
something more valuable than rubbish
comes to light. Things have been thrown
in by frightened thieves who wished 70
hide the evidence of their crimes, and
were willing to lose their booty for the
sake of whole skin, or else we're drop
ped by accident in the cutters, to lie
there unnoticed and be washed into the
sewers at tho first flushing or heavy rain.
There are some strange stories bound
up III the sewers. They nearly all deal
with special searches made for lost prop
erty of considerable value. On one occa-
sion eight $50 roldpieces were hunted
for, having been stolen from Catholic
priest up town. This priest had befriend-
ed young boy, had taken him with
him for q short time, and finally found
him position TO run errands. The boy
proved ungrateful for these benefits, and
one day he slipped back into the house
and stole this money in purse. 1t was
not until the owner of the purse return
ed that the loss was discovered. A de-
teetive was at once set upon the boy
track, and there was little difficulty i'll
getting him to make confession. He
acknowledged that he had taken the
money, and that that very night. know
ing that he was Swallowed, he had drop
ped it in the nearest sewer. The depart
ment was informed, and men were at
once sent up to empty out the basin.
One by one the eight goldpieces were
found in the mud.
An even more remarkable find was
that of two railroad bonds. one for $500
and the other for 81 900, which were
stolen under almost exactly the same
circumstances. Another boy had robbed
his employer. and had taken these Sc
curities, together with pocketbook
containing $27 in bills and silver. He
spent the money up to the last cent, but
found the bonds Of no value at all to
him. Afraid, however, to have them in
his possession, he coolly dropped them
down an adjacent sewer, and thought
he was secure. After he had confessed,
search was made, in precisely the
same manner, and the bonds came to
light, rather the worse for wear, it is
true, covered with liquid mud, but still
legible, and in quite good enough shape
for the owner to be able to prove bis
property.
Crime, though, is not an invariable
accompaniment of losses like these.
There was a case in the department sew
eral months ago of working girl, who,
returning home hurriedly little after
O'Clock one night, stumbled on the
curb, and in doing so let her pocketbook
fall. With fatal bad luck it rolled to-
ward the sewer as if it had been aimed
for it and disappeared in its depths. The
sum of $40 was in it, an exceedingly
heavy loss for the girl. Broken hearted,
she went home, having given up all
hopes of ever seeing it again. Several
days went by, and she was trying to be-
come reconciled to her loss, when it
was suggested that she send word down
to the sewer bureau in the city hall.
The upshot of it all was that the little
pocketbook was recovered, and after a
thorough washing and drying in the
sun was returned to the young woman,
intact and without a cent missing. -
New York Tribune.