The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-05
A -OST MEDAL.
Found After Seventeen Years In q
Cows Stomnch.

Found After Seventeen Years In q
Cows stomach.
In the stomach of COW slaughtered in
Armour's plant at the stockyards last
week was found gold medal, in the form
of Maltese cross, which has been posi-
lively identified and returned to its owner,
who lost it while schoolgirl, II years
ago on one of the prairie paths of Texas
The history of the trinkets adventures
was brought to light only after advertise
ments had been published in the news
papers throughout Texas These notices
described the medal as having the name
ida May Work" and the year '1Ss1"
engraved on its reverse side. Ono of these
arrows fired at random, found a mark in
Albuquerque, y, N.
IL 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
up to the men mt Armour's and received
the medal.
The story of the golden cross which
came from the Lone Star State in the
COW s stomach probably would never have
eyed meat inspectors who were watching
the killing ofI51eeves that day.
cone of the men noticed the CLINT of the
gold, - said Inspector George H. Lytle,
''and we all gathered around to see what
it was We found it to be medal, and
the following inscription was engraved on
it: Presented to Ida May Work by the
Fort Worth Seminary, 1881
% Fred Shaw sIIOpriptppdpnt IF the
mcathouse, took charge of it. That night
he made inquiries and found that that
batch of cattle was shipped from Dallas.
He wrote to the postmaster at Dallas ask
ing if he knew where Ida Work could be
found
''The postmaster replied that the Work
family had formerly lived in that city,
but the older mombers were dead and the
Others had moved away. As a last resort
Mr. Shaw decided to publish advertise
ments for the owner,
''We did not hear ANYTHING mora Of the
matter and had almost forgotten our nys-
FERROUS medal when u letter came from
the woman in New Mexico She said she
was The owner Of the medal and was over
joyed at lcarning ibahad been found 1t
appeared that she had received it as re-
ward of merit whiie q pupil in the Fort
Worth seminary, One day she was riding
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 a long time for them,
but could not find either one. Her ex-
PLANTATION was considered sufficient, and
we Immediately sent her the medal"
She expressed surprise that the bit of
gold should have found its way into the
stomach of n cow ard in that manner be
carried to Chicago, where it once more
saw the light The case puzzles the men
ut the stocllyards 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 n So goldpiece
was taken from slaughtered steer and
now adoras the watch chain of the super
intendent 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-
Giles o.--Chieago Journal.