Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-04
HID CASH IN BIBLE
Queer Tale of Wealth Which
Long Lay Concealed.
FOUND IN HOUR OF NEED
How Father Provided for Son Who
Would Not Work.
JUSTICE IN EVENING DRESS
New England Squire's Plan for Up
holding the Dignity Of His
Court-Other Tales.
JUSTICE IN EVENING DRESS
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondeuee of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
NEW YORK, February ., 1910
We were sitting around the fire, on re-
cent cold night. telling of the strange
things that we had heard and seen. when
the general gave us an account OF the
surprising experience of a man he knows
named Stephen Marsh.
Mr.. Marsh is seventy years old. He
served as a private In the 18th New Jer-
sey Volunteers during the civil war, was
badly wounded in the leg and has since
drawn a pension of SIG month. With
that limited income he has managed to
support himself and his wife and raise
three boys by working small farm near
Fairfield. Middlesex county, n. J., few
miles east Of Trenton, and selling gar
den truck In New York. But his wound
bothers him more and more. he gets tired
easily, and his back is too stiff to permit
him to weed onions and pick strawber-
rles: hence. much to his regret, he de-
cided to sell his farm and go out to Col
orado. where his son, Stephen, jr., is a
prosperous ranchman.
While Mr.. Marsh and his wife were Sc
lecting the things that they wished to
take with them there was an animated
dispute over an old-fashioned family BIZ
BILE about eighteen inches square and six
inches thick, the size of Webster's Die
uonary. 1t is bound in full calf and the
covers are fastened with a substantial
brass hasp. This venerable Word of God
had been lying untouched upon the top
shelf Of the sitting room closet in the
Marsh cottage ever since the day after
the funeral of Stephens aunt. Miss Sarah
Marsh, who died in Newark. April II.
Miss Marsh had the reputation of being
we'll or and her relations supposed that
she had large bank account, and bonds
and stocks and mortgages In tin box hid
it. In her will she provided that her
house and other property should be dis
posed of to the best possible advantage
by her executors and the proceeds divided
equally between seven sisters and nieces
after her funeral expenses and her j,-
and lawful debts had been paid There
were several small legacies to her serv-
ants, and one clause in the will read:
Old Bible to Nephew.
ITO my beloved nephew, Stephen
Marsh. I give and bequeath the Bible
which has long been treasured in our
family, and which was read and revered
by our parents and grandparents through
many generations
OF course, Marsh and his wife were
dreadfully disappointed and the other
heirs, who were sure Of share in the
proceeds OF the property. made a good
up in towel and over that a wrapper of
heavy manila paper. He carried it home
to Fairfield, put it away out OF sight on
the shelf, and there 1t lay thirty-five
years, untouched except when Mrs. Marsh
was cleaning house she took it down to
wipe off the shelves. She considered 1t q
nuisance and told Mr.. Marsh that she did
not propose to take that plaguey old
book all the way out to Colorado. They
had two small Bibles. and that was
enough.
Mr. Marsh gave in to his wife, as good
husbands always do, but did not like to
give his only heirloom away. and could
not think of any other manner OF dis
posing Of it. While he was Illuminating
over the dilemma he took off the wrap
per and then the towel and opened the
brass clasp by which the ancient volume
was closed. Imagine his amusement when
he found an old wartime ten-doltar
greenback lying between the title page
and the steel-engraved frontispiece rep
resenting Adam and Eve and the SER
pent in the garden. Further examination
disclosed more than seven thousand
greenbacks and "shdnplasters'' that used
ting in value from 10 cents "a
500 and a 40 government bond
for thousand dollars. The total amount
was 81. S67 90, which doubtless represented
the savings of Sarah Marsh for half of
her lifetime, because some Of the bills
have not been current since the national
bank act was passed. in 1882
After we had exchanged appropriate
comments upon the stupidity OF Sarah
Marsh IN putting her savings between the
leaves of a Bible and the stupidity of
Stephen Marsh in permitting the good
book" to remain so long undisturbed
upon the closet shelf the editor remarked
that he knew of a similar case down in
Kentucky.