Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-16
STRAY BANK NOTE MAKES
QUESTION OF OWNERSHIP
MISSOURI TOWN ALL TORN UP
OVER 1T
Contest in Which a Queerly Manipu.
lated $1,000 Bill Figures Has Set
the Village by the Ears in
Good Style
special to The Herald.

|
LIE SEUR, Mo-, July 15-There is sharp
contest on hand over in Burton as to the
ownership of a certain $1,000 bank note that
was found there month ago by Miss Wend-
over, stenographer in the First Natlonal
bank.
Miss Wendover like most young lady
stenographers, is a confirmed gum chewer and
addicted to the usual practice of devotees OF
this pleasing habit of keeping her quid, during
off moments, stuck up on the under side OIL
her chair, or desk, or table, or Whatever may
be handiest.
One day, while seated at one Of the desks
in the office of the bank that she sometimes
used, she felt the need of reviving herself by a
comforting chew at qud of the best KIND
of gum, and abstractedly reached one hand
under the edge of the desk and felt about with
her fingers to find the hardened lump.
There did not seem to be any in the usual
location, and, thinking that she may nave
misplaced it when she used 1t before she ex-
plored further and further along the under
surface of the desk, and, finally, up IN one
corner, we'll out of the way, her fingers came
in contact with the familiar surface Oh
rounded quid and she cracked 1t off and
thrust II into her mouth. She closed her
pearly teeth down upon 1t and the gum
cracked beneath them and a strange sensation
developed itself in her mouth.
Hastily removing the quid from her moutn,
she found it 70 be pellet of closely roiieu
paper, covered with gum. The paper when
unfoded. proved to be $1,000 Dill
Miss WendOVer set her wits TO WORK to SEE
if she could not make the bill her own She
dattened out a large quid of gum, rolled the
bill in II and, after warming 1t in her MONTH
stuck 1t back up under the desk, just Where
she had found it, and then, after studying the
situation a few days, formed plan of action
There is a drawer in the desk in which the
postage stamps are kept and she arranged TO
have quite a large number of stamps In the
drawer. and then to spill therein bottle OF
musilage and leave it there over night TO
harden and thus paste the stamps TO the Dol
tom of the drawer and make them a total loss
unless a great deal of trouble should be taken
to recover them.
She then arranged to have this seeming ac-
cident come first to the notice of one OF the
vice presidents oil the bank, very cross
nervous man. and he Immediately scolded her
roundly for the accident, and said that she
would have to pay for the stamps. she pre-
tended to get very angry herself and onereu
TO buy 1.-The old desk stamps and everything
else F." He took up her offer and sold her the
desk for $780, .,o
When the trade was completed and the
money paid over, she reached under the uesk
cracked off the quid of gum. broke 1t open
and exhibited the money. Ihe pahK oInolais
claimed it on the ground that she had op-
taIned the ownership of the desk by fraud
and besides the former owner OF the desk
M Percival who owned the bank fixtures
ton vears ago came forward and claimed that
the money had been put there by one OF ms
clerks with the intention of stealing it, nut
tbat in the excitement of the search for the
rnonav the clerk had been stricken down with
beart disease and the money never found nor
the mystery cleared up It's doupttul VINO Will
win.