The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-30
Poor Man Unearths Big Bex
Full of Gold Coin
NOW HAS MANY FRIENDS
Good Work Has Been Done BY Trav-
cling Men of Mississippi in Sc
curing Legislation Benefi-
cial to Travellers.

! Bud Rietti a well known citizen of
Jackson who has long enjoyed the dis
! tinction of being a ne'er do we'll but
who has always had plenty of friends
! and relatives to get him out of trou-
BILE into which he happened to get on
account of his love for the .'oil o. joy"
made remarkable find yesterday-one
that puts him above want for the bal
| ance of his days.
Taking a spade Mr.. Rietti went out
In one corner of the yard of his home
to plant a young peach tree. He soon
unearthed a box made of zinc that was
about Is inches long by u wide and
deep and that was filled to overlooking
with 50, $40 and $40 gold pieces.
Rietti had never seen that much money
at one time in his life and never even
| dreamed of such a pile, even when he
was in Little Nemos" class and is said
to have tainted. He grabbed out hat
| full of the gold and tried to count it
but his fingers were all thumbs and
he found himself rusty on addition. After
enjoying his find for some time he let
his brother into the secret and the two
| of them spent the balance of the day
trying to count it. but gave up and
took it to the bank.
OF course the bank will not tell how
much there was in the box, neither will
the Riettis, but they agree that It is in
the neighborhood of $4,000.
! There is no telling who placed the gold
in the ground. Before the war there
was saloon on the spot and it is sug-
gested that the proprietor. man named
Rich who disappeared from here when
the Yankee army burned the town and
never returned, may have planted the
box. There are those who knew Rich,
however, who declare that he never had
a dollar ahead in his life.
Since the war many thousands of dol
lars are known to have been unearthed
! hereabouts. 1t was money that was
buried by soldiers of both armies and
by wealthy citizens who refugeed from
here on the approach of the hostile
army
There has been a constant stream of
visitors to the Rietti home today, every
body wanting to see where bud" found
his pile and hosts of friends-many of
congratulations.
Good Work by Trsveling Men.
The good and practical work being done
by the Mississippi Travellers association
| Is becoming more and more manifest
! every day. Naturally enough many need
ed reforms in the comfort and dispatch
of travel were urgently needed and it
takes time to bring about their accom-
plishment, but, obstacles considered, the
Mississippi Travellers association has al
ready succeeded in securing many i'm
provements in railroad, hotel shipping
and baggage service.
1t has succeeded in having fire es-
capes installed in many hotels where
needed and are constantly working to the
| end of having them generally provided
The loss of one or two guests at the
recent fire in Gulfport solemnly impressed
the whole state with their urgent neces-
| sity.
The hotels generally, however, are re-
| spending promptly to suggestions made
by the Mississippi Travellers association
Free sample rooms are being provided
| wherever practicable.
Excess baggage rates were prevented
| from being raised in Mississippi by the
alert and tactful efforts OF this wide
awake body of men. They are now bend
|
transfers and passenger stations at those
towns and cities where needed in this
state. This will be a great help to the
travelling fraternity and will greatly ia
cilitate the comfort and smoothness of
road life. 1t is pleasing to announce
that this great organization is working
| in full and perfect accord with the Of
ficials of the several railroads that ira
verse our state and that its requests are
| eriy nd az
ficient attention by the railroad fra
| ternity.
The Retail Merchants association, now
| being organized in Jackson will prove
| a most welcome and useful helpmeet
| to the Mississippi Travellers association
and it is the intention of these two prac-
| tical and earnest bodies of men to work
| hand in hand In all that mutually con-
Germs the welfare of this city and state.
| The hotel hill, overlooked in the hurry
| of adjournment by the last legislature,
| will be shaped up into improved form
| and will be earnestly pressed upon the
! attention of the next legislature with no
| possible doubt of its prompt enactment
| into law.
This bill covers such matters as san
| itation, ventilation, clean bedding long
sheets, good table, etc, and the neces-
| sity for such a law is too apparent to
| require comment.
Take it all in all the Mississippi TRAY
| elers association Is a practical intelli-
| gent, patriotic and useful body of men
| and is doing grand work for our
| good old state ard she is justly proud of
it's progressive spirit and substantial tri-
umphs.
| Ben II. Holder, it's brainy and energetic
president, is on the watch to the
end of constantly widening it's sphere of
| service to beth itself and to the travel
ing public generally.
jackson Cotton Receipts.
According to the record kept at the
Gulf compress the cotton receipts at
Jackson this year to date are 30,0S9 bales
as against 27,s03 for the same period last
year.
The shipments this year amount to
22,012 bales, leaving 8,085 bales on hand
at this time. Last year the shipments
to this state were 1888, leaving on hand
at that time 1915.
The price of the staple in Jackson
yesterday ranged from about SIC to DC
and very little was being offered, the
farmers having made up their minds
that the crop is short of the world s
demands and that prices are bound to be
better In due course of time.
There are buyers in Jackson the heav-
lest buyers, who have not sold one single
Dale of cotton this season and they de-
clare they will freeze on to 1t till next
May, if necessary, having the utmost
crop Is not a bumper crop and that pick
4 H. A,xI