The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1899-11-10

The money fished out OF the Housa-
tonic river, last summer, by Charles B.
Glover OF Hanover, has already led to q
law suit. On Thursday of last week
Sheriff Rodgers attached for $4,000 the
real estate of Attorney Charles FL. Nor
throp. custodian OF the money found by
Glover, for Edward Wheeler of Oxford.
executor Of the estate Of the late Dwight
Washband, and the attachment is return
able the first Tuesday in December in the
Superior court for New Haven county,
Ii regard to the case Mr. Northrop
stated to reporter Of The BEE, that
should the matter not be settled (Which
is likely) and come to trial he will file q
disclaimer, as he is simply custodian OF
the money. MIR Glover, or any other
party claiming the money, will have to
be cited in as defendant, as Mr. Northrop
has no claim to it. s'Under the case as
1t now stands" said Mr. Northrop In dis
cussing the matter more fully, sit is a
suit under common counts, 40 called, and
[ am not obliged to answer to it as it
now stands. Before defendant can be
made to answer to suit under the COM
mon counts plaintiff is obliged by the
law to file either a substitute complaint
or bill of particulars, showing state
ment of the facts relied upon by the
plaintiff" Mr. Northrop stated he was
not agluated in the least by the attach
ment.
Lne first inkling the public had in re-
gard to the money was small advertise
ment inserted in THE BEE. Later it
became noised about town, and soon the
finding of the money was common
lopic of conversation. The news spread
Ge~Oxford and soon S. w. Buckingham
Of Seymour, son-in-law of MIR Wheeler,
appeared ar MIR Northrop's Office and
laid claim to the money. Shortly after
Mr. Wheeler retained William FL. Will
l.ams of Derby, attorney for the Hurleys
in the famous arson case, and now dis
Grict attorney for New Haven county.
Mr. Buckingham told Mr. NOrthrop Mr.
Wheeler had retained Mr. Williams and
chat he should sue il the money was not
Gurned over. And he has kept his word.
The Bridgeport Farmer OF Saturday
had the following article in regard to the
money, which MIR NOrthrop says is SUBJ
stantially correct:
In the early part of the past summer,
Charles B. Glover Of Newtown, son OF
Constable William Ell. Glover, f1shed up
tin box from the bottom Of the Housa-
tonic RIVER. In the box was smaller
box, and in this again was mass of wet
and rotted bank bills. The mass was in
such poor shape that the denominations
and amounts could not be ascertained.
Chal les H. Northrop, formerly cashier
Of the NewEoWn bank, sent tRe box TO
Washington and the treasury department
redeemed the bank bills and returned the !
full amount, between $1,000 and $11O0, to |
Mr. NorthrOp. There was q great deal
Of speculation as to who the money be-
longed to originally. One of the con-
lectures was that it was Dwight T. Wash |
bands, late of Oxford, q very eccentric
character, and who died about two years
ago. There was good deal Of news |
paper comment regarding the former
ownership at the time OF the find.
Washband had declared q number of
times near the end of his life that he did
not intend to leave any property that
other people would enjoy, and he would
fix things SO as to cheat his heirs. He
declared he made his money unassisted
and would not assist others and money
was a curse. After his death Edward
Wheeler was appointed executor Of the
estate but on coming to settle up the al.
fairs he could find no estate to work on.
He secured information to the effect that
Washband had converted his reality into
cash. There were some other things in
C Jnnectlon with the find to confirm the
idea that the money really belonged to
the executrix, Mrs Washband, although
there IS no absolute proof that way.
Mr. Northrop kept the money and re-
fused to surrender it to the Glovers. The
heirs of the eccentric deceased offered to
give Mr. Glover 800 for finding it.
Glover wanted $3.50 for his share, and
they could not agree. Mr. Northrop said
he would keep the money till the thing
was settled by law one way or the other.
At first the Glovers insisted on having
the money, but finally agreed to retain
Attorney Northrop's services in their
behalf.
1t is now said the Glovers will claim
the entire amount. The fad was worth
at least $3.50, but now they intend to
make Trustee Wheeler prove to the court
that the money in the box was that Of
the late Mr. Washband, and IL that Ia
proven, which they do not think can be,
they will set up claim that the deceased
Mr. Washbsnd could dispose OF his prop
erty by will or throwing 1t away. In
this instance it was an absolute surren-
der, which he had legal right to make.