The times., 1901-06-10
AFORFUNE IN old LETTERS
Bonds Worth 100000 Rescued
from Heap of Rubbish.
The Good Fortune of New Haven
Commercial TrRveIcr-RaiIrOad Sc
curitics Left by His Father Turn
Up After Being Hidden for Years.

NEW HAVEN, Conn, June 9-OId
love letters of his father, as he thought
them. have turned out to represent a
fortune Of over $500 600 in New York, New
Haver and Hartford bonds for William
Ii. Warner. Of New Haven, n drummer
for coffin trimmings, who has had hard
time making a living.
Mr.. Warmers father was stricken with
paralysis in 1871, and became childish.
Mr.. Warner, who had married, took his
father away from the old place TO his
home and brought all the effects from the
old home to the new. The elder Warner
soon died, and the son was kept so busy
earning a living for his increasing family
that he never found time to examine all
the heirlooms brought from the old home
stead.
Antique furniture, boxes of letters. and
so on were packed away in the attic of
his house. Recently he planned to move
into another house and told his family
to throw away what appeared to be use
less of the stuff stored in the attic. He
packed his sample case and started away
on a business trip.
But ali the time that he was talking to
undertakers on the superiority of the cof-
fin trimmings he dealt ir his mind kept
reverting to the heirlooms which he had
left to his family to dispose Of. There
was one box of letters in particular that
his mind kept revertinG to. This contain
ed lot of misSivcs written by his father
to his mother in the days of his parents
courtship.
He feared that his wife might throw
them away, and he wished to keep them
for sentimental reasons. The belief that
the letters would be destroyed ere he
could rescue them so preyed on his mind
that he cut short his business trip and
sent a telegram to his wife telling her to
wait until his arrival home before dis
posing of the articles in the attic. The
telegram found Mrs. Warner in the midst
of the old curios, which she was prepar-
ing to get rld Of. But she Needed the
telegram and ceased her labors
Her husband arrived few days later
and she joking!y asked him if he had
been hereft of his senses, that,
after twenty-five years, he took notion
that the old heiriooms %ere of value. But
the husband, with an interest that was
as totally inexplicable to him as to his
wife, delved into boxes and trunks that
never had been opened since his fathers
death. He wanted to get the letters his
father had written to his mother when
she was his fathers sweetheart.
He found several packages of letters in
an old hair-clOth trunk, and among them
the bundle he particularly desired. He
thrust them into his pocket and told his
wife she could now go ahead with the dis
posal of the heirlooms, and resumed his
business trip. He took an early morning
train yesterday from New Haven to Hart |
ford. the old package of letters tied care
fully with a faded blue ribbon, just as |
MS father had done them up. in his coat |
pocket. He dropped beside drummer in |
-he smoking car and the two discussed !
he state Of the coffin trade, and then Mr. |
Warner jokingly told how the thought Of |
his fathers love letters had cut short !
MS previous trip.
Then he took out the package of faded /
Yellow papers He undid the ancient rib !
oon The first bit Of paper that was re- !
eased, when unfOlded, proved to be d |
ct of bonds of an early issue of the New |
\ ork, New Haven and Hartford Rail |
cad Company Mr.. Warner left the train |
It Hartford. again cutting short his bust |
hess trip and fastened to the brokerage /
,tiice of F. r. Bradley & Son, in the Sage |
Allen Building. The brokers told him that |
he bond coupons called for $4S,0OO Of ac- |
'rued interest, and had a face valuation |
If S250.00e. They said that the total value |
IF the bonds was probably more than |
10000 at the present price of the securi- |
les
There were. in addition. among the "oId |
owe letters a number of bonds Of the !
Adams and the United States Express |
Mr.. Warner has engaged a /
awyer TO have the New Haven probate |
Judge make the bonds over to him as the |