The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-11
Purchaser Of Old Nail leve|er
Finds $3.50 in L
PEDDlER PONDER TOOK TWO CHANCES
WISE OLD VENDER USED HIS AR
TlFIciAL PROPELLER FOR
SAFETY VAULT.

MoAN ISJ/AAA, GU. IL uC HClIS VI
an old peddler known as Bon Ami"
Pondu who died six months ago, have
recovered his life savings in a most
unusual manner. After hunting ev-
erywhere, the cash, amounting to $3.50,
was discovered in the old mans wood
en- leg.
Pandu met with an accident more
than 20 years ago, and when he came
out of a hospital here his right leg,
from the knee down, was missing. At
that time Pondu was a carpenter and
it wasn't much of a task for him to
make a wooden leg to replace the one
he had lost. He then attempted to
continue at his trade, but he got lit
tie work and in the end gave up car
pentering to eddie trinkets.
The trinket business was not par
ticularly lucrative, but Pondu had
few expenses and he managed to
make a living. He was Of a genial
nature, honest to deal with and
good story teller, and after time he
established line Of customers in the
small villages and among the farmers,
who would buy of no one else. In this
way his income increased and his ex-
penses decreased for Bon Amir re-
ceived many an invitation to dine and
sleep in the modest homes of his GUS
toners.
After he had been making the
rounds a few years the word got about
in some mysterious way that he ped
dler was rich and carried his wealth
on his person. Some said it was in
channels bag about his neck; others
tina it was stOwel away in money
belt at the waist, and still others that
his clothing was lined with bills Of
all denominations. The report that he
had his fortune constantly with him
probably originated from the fact that
Pondu professed to mistrust banks,
since his first savings were sunk in
the failure of trust company in Mon
treal
AS a result Of these stories several
plots We're laid to waylay and rob
the old man and three times he was
actually held up. On one occasion he
was bound and gagged while robbers
ripped hisclothing to shreds in an eff
fort to find his treasure. Another time
he was tortured in an effort make
him tell where he kept his savings,
and once he was so badly beaten that
he barely escaped with his life. All
III Cot oil no hri-
gands and thieves got for their trouble
was a little change found in his peck
cts.
When "Ron Amir died it was suppOs
ed that he had no kin, either near or
distant. but some cousins soon appear
ed and demanded his estate. After
proving their relationship to the sat-
isfaction of the authorities the ped
dler's few belongings were turned over
to them and then began a systematic
wealth. Although in their efforts to
discover the treasure the heirs tore up
the boards in the floor of the lodging
house where "Bon Ami lived, they
found nothing, and were out both time
and money. Finally they gave the job
up as a bad one and sold or gave
away the trifles that remained.
No purchaser could be found for
second hand wooden leg, so it was
given to an old friend of POndu, who
said it was better than the one he was
wearing. This man, whose name =.
Andrew Ross, found the appendage
bit too long and decided to cut it II
fit. Under the saw the fact was dis
closed that the leg was hollow from
the top to the ferule and that it was
stuffed with something soft. This
aroused his suspicious, and ripping the
leg open, he found therein $3.50 in
bills. The money had been inserted
through a cleverly arranged door un-
der the point where the knee fitted.
Ross returned the money to the de-
lighted heirs and received for his hon
esty a two dollar bill.