The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-28
MEDAL IN cows STOMACH.
Lost on a Texas Prairie, Recovered
in "a Slaughter House.
From the Chicago Journal.

from the Chicago journal.
In the stomach of q COW slaughtered in
Armours plant at the stock yards last
week was found a gold medal in the form
of a Maltese cross, which has been posi-
lively Identified and returned to its owner,
who lost it while a school girl seventeen
years ago on one of the prairie paths of
Texas.
The history of the trinket's adventures
was brought to light only after advertise
ments had been published in the newspa-
pers throughout Texas. These notices de-
scrlbed the medal as having the name Ida
May Work apd the year 1881" engraved
on its reverse side. One of these arrows
fired at random found mark in Albu-
querque, n. NJ.
It was learned that Miss Work had
grown to be a woman In the intervening
years, and that she had little girls of her
own. She read the advertisement, wrote
to the men at Armour's, and received the
medal.
The story Of the golden cross, which
came from the Lone Star state in the
cows stomach, probably would never have
been told had it not been that several
sharp-eyed meat inspectors were watching
the killing of beeves that day.
zone of the men noticed the CLINT Of the
gold" said Inspector George H. Lyle
land we all gathered around TO see what
it was. We found it 10 be a medal, and the
lOflOWilS inscription was engraved on II.
Presented TO
IDA MAY WORK
by the
Fort Worth Seminary 1881.
Fired Shaw, superintendent of the
meat house, took charge of it, That night
he made inquiries and found that that
batch of cattle was shipped from Dali
las, Tex. He wrote to the postmaster at
Dallas, asking if he knew where Ida May
Work could be found
THE postmaster replied that the Work
family had formerly lived in that city.
But the older members were dead and the
others had moved away. AS a last resort.
MIR. Shaw decided to publish advertise
ments for the owner.
I'VE did not hear anything more of the
matter and had almost forgotten our
mysterious medal when a letter came
from the woman in New Mexico. She
said she was the owner of the medal and
was overjoyed at learning it had been
found. 1t appeared that she had receiv-
ed it as a reward of merit while a pupil
in the Fort Worth seminary One day she
was riding a horse over the prairie near
Dallas and was thrown Off Her mount
ran away and in the confusion she lost
the Maltese cross and another similar
medal which she had worn that day.
She searched long time for them but
could not find either one. Her explanation
was considered sut1cient, and We immedl-
ately sent her the medal"
She expressed surprise that the bit of
gold should have found its way into the
stomach of a COW, and in that manner
be carried to Chicago, where 1t once more
saw the light. The case puzzles the men
at the stock yards just as much as it
does the owner.
1t Is explained that often small nails are
found in what is called the first stomach
of cows. Some time ago a S. gold piece
was taken from slaughtered steer and
now adorns the watch chain of the su-
perintendent of the killing gang.
1t is supposed that the Maltese cross
was swallowed by the COW while she was
grazing on the prairie and lodged in the
first stomach, just as other foreign arti-
cleS do.