The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1903-04-27
Old John Harding's
Money
,,.,-,.. -, y q B. Levfs,l

/. soor.h ~ the house hau Ktslie1 " -
.o Ss" s,s money. BE was an old paeh-
Neai NM an farm with his broth
eioT I,drrv and his sister Hannah, and
e ,,.ss known that be had been hoard
~ = for forty years. He died in his bed
without giving an alarm and without
leaving any message as TO where he
had hidden his wealth.
was interested in the case as dis
+ant relative. while scores became in
terested through curiosity. We had to
hire men and arm them with guns to
Keep the searchers OF the farm, and
there were many among them who
would have kept every dollar Of the
treasure had they stumbled upon II.
Where to search after the house had
been frultlessly gone over was the
question, and it was puzzling one.
Put yourself in old Mr.. Harding's
place and tell me where you would
hide that money. Not In the house, for
fear OF robbers first and a search later
on: not in the barn, because the build
ing was liable to be struck by lightning
and burned. He wanted to keep 1t
away from his relatives, and yet he
wouldn't want 1t lost for good and all,
nor would he wish It to fall into the
hands OF strangers. That is simply hu-
man nature. 1t is a paradox. but 1t is
human nature as well. You wouldn't
throw 1t down the well, because the
well would be searched There would
be the same objection to sheds and
stacks as to the barn.
Both Hannah and Henry felt sure
the old man had buried the money. ]
felt just as certain to the contrary. BE
had brought it home in installments,
and he would not run the risk Of open
ing and closing cache seven or eight
different times. Much Of the lost mon
ey was drawn out Of bank two weeks
previous to his death
Whenever he went to town, he wore
a pair of boots. On all other days he
wore pair OF old shoes, which were
soft and easy on his feet. BE did not
change back to his boots as soon as he
reached home, but only after he had
returned from walking about the farm;
hence 1t might be inferred that he had
to pass over bad ground.
The woman brought me his boots
Just as he had pulled them on for the
last time. There was dried mud on
them. 1t could not be mud from the
highway. because when he went to
town last the roads we're dusty. The
sole Of the right boot was considerably
worn, and in crevice I found little
sand. Again, on that same boot, stick
Ing to the mud, were several blades OF
grass. She brought me the suit OF
clothes he had worn that day and for
three or four days subsequently, and /
found cookies and bun on the trousers
and bits of rotten wood in one of the
coat pockets.
To the west Of the house and half a
mile away was the forest. To reach
1t he had to pass through the orchard.
Between the orchard and the forest
was a creek. On the east side Of 1t,
where, | judged. he would naturally
cross, was bed OF sand. On the other
side was a muddy spot but with log
to walk on. The forest covered eighty
acres OF ground, and but little Of 1t had
ever been cleared Of underbrush.
In going from the house through the
orchard and across the creek and back
/ got plenty of cookies and burs on my
clothes. and had made a misstep at
the log | should have fallen into the
mud and water. Granted that the old
man had hidden his money IN the
woods, what particular spot should l
look for? The brother had not hap
pened to see him 80 beyond the or
chard, but on one OCCASION, when he
had need OF a certain tool and went to
the shed to find it, It was missing. Two
hours later it had been restored. It
was a mallet that he wanted.
Going on the theory that the old man
had used the mallet, Invent to the shed
and looked at all the tools. Most Of
them we're rusty with the dampness.
There was rust on a certain anger and
on n certain chisel, but it was fresh
rust The point Of the auger also re-
tanned some bits Of the last wood It
mad been bored into. These bits / was
assured by several persons had a
heechy taste. Therefore reasoned
that the auger had been bored Into a
beech tree. l had no doubt that be had
psed mallet. chisel and auger to make
hiding place for his money.
The first move was to go through the
forest in search of what might be call
ed eligible beech trees. I marked OF
twenty within ten minutes walk OF the
creek and then began close inspec
tion Of each one. did not look at tops
or trunks, but on the ground. There
wore nlenty OF brush and limbs and
dead leaves. but at the end OF two days
steady search ! found chips and spin
TORS in having around and then knew
that the quest was ended.
Never did a man hide his money II
q safer place or with more skillfu
hands The tree was double one foI
the first four feet from the ground
where the two came together was
dacaved SPOT. 1t wasn't larger than
mans fist when Harding discovered It
and funguses had taken root and wert
thriving, Everything looked so per
I,,4I,. not,,raI that | was a good h0ui