Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-12-07
QUEER MONEY BOXES.
CURIOUS PLACES SELECTED FOR
HIDING AWAY TREASURE.
STATUES THAT HAVE SERVED THE PuR-
POSES OF A RANK-A BEGGAR's
HUMP THAT YIELDED A FORTUNE.

1t is only comparatively short time
since NJ. Boussigue, a Partisan, discov-
cred a nice little treasure concealed in
one of the very last places where he
would have expected to find it, He had
inherited from an aunt a small statu-
cite to which he attached little value,
but which nevertheless he placed as an
ornament in one of his rooms. AS luck
would have it, his maid in busting the
statuette one day dropped it on the
floor and, presto. out rolled from its
hollow interior a package which on ex-
animation proved to contain notes of
the value of 11,000 francs as well as a
costly diamond ring,
This is by no means the only occa-
sion on which statue has been made
to serve the purposes Of bank. a
few years ago an art collector Of
Kharkov, Russia, purchased statue
of the Apollo Belvedere, Of which he
was very proud. One day his chill
dren when playing upset the statue
and broke it beyond all possibility of
repair. The father when he saw his
priced statue in fragments was furi-
Gus, but consolation came to him in
ing the fragments he found concealed
In hollow limb roll of Russian bank
notes of the value Of 5000 rubleS.
With the notes was a memorandum by
a Chevalier Prokheroff, dated 1S4S.
to the effect that the concealed money
was the fruit of gambling and that it
was his intention to use it in the build
ing of church.
A still more curious hiding place for
treasure was that chosen by Pere An
tome, hunchback beggar who used to
hang about the church doors of Paris
soliciting aims. When the hunchback
died his nephew applied to the sau-
thorities demanding that postmortem
examination should be made. The re-
quest was granted. with the result that
1t was found the bunch was false and
that in its fraudulent interior were
stored the beggar's savings, amount
ing to $4,000 francs. Pere Antoine, 1t
was also discovered, was an ex-convict
who owed his freedom to the influence
of a well known deputy.
An inquest held at the st. Pancras
coroner's court some time ago on Wal
ter Samuel Mott revealed another
treasurer small one, 1t Is true-con-
cealed in a most remarkable place.
Mott had wooden leg, and an exami-
nation of this limb revealed ten sover-
eigns concealed in it. The precaution
was very wise one, for it came out
in evidence that for some weeks the
deceased had been rarely sober, and it
would have Jared i'll with his treasure
IL it had not been so artfully and eff
fectually concealed.
There was considerable method in
the parsimony of an old lady who,
wherever she went, carried with her
an Old box, apparently full of odd
pieces of scrap iron. The box was a
subject of jest and ridicule among her
neighbors, but the old lady could af-
ford to smile at their jokes, for it was,
in fact, the most valuable box any
where in the district. When she died
the box was found in an Clubhouse
open to aAy one who cared to inspect
1t, and under the surface layer of old
iron were found 5000 golden sover-
eigns, the savings of lifetime.
In another case known to the writer,
after the death of an old woman in
the north of England who had for
years been in receipt of outdoor relief
from the parish a sum OF fS0O was
found in a number of pincushions scat
tered about her one room. When Miss
j., a notorious Devonshire miser, died,
1t was found that her pillow contained
securities and bank notes of the value
of over f1S,0o0, while at an auction
sale of the effects of a Lewisham lady
of misery instincts the purchaser Of
her piano stool found small mine of
gold in the horsehair stuffing, and
gentleman who bought her bedstead
discovered $500 hidden away in one Of
It's hollow legs
A sensation was caused at Jassy, in
Roumania, some time ago by the death
of Nine. Balsch, whose eccentricities
had for years been the gossip of the
town. Although it was more than sus-
pected that she was rich woman, she
had lived in the most sordid and mis-
cradle manner and was generally re-
garded as miser. When her few be
longings We're examined after her
death not a trace could be found of
her supposed wealth, until, or going
through her articles of clothing, it
was discovered that one of her petit
coats seemed stiff, as if heavily lined.
The petticoat was ripped open and re-
vealed notes of the value of 100000
francs sewed under the lining.
This discovery naturally stimulated
the zeal of the searchers. Further pet
ttcoats We're examined, and in all large
sums in notes were found concealed
The total amount of the treasure
which had served as lining for Nine
Balsch's petticoats was no less than
900 0O0 fl-onrS-IOndon Tit Bits