The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-06-04
5000 LOST 23 YEARS AGO RE-
COVERED.
Former Mercer County Lady Receives
Money from a Mysterious Agent
in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

uyluS REQUEST 10 Tree Lno family COLI
science, and the partial solution of
the mystery of the disappearance of a
packet of money on Nicollet avenue
twenty-three years ago, came to light
today when Mrs. A. E. Colliton, 1924
East Lake street, received through
the police and other agents 5000 in
bills, the amount that disappeared
from her handbag on Jan. II, 1891,
reports the Minneapolis Journal of
last week.
Mrs. E. A. Colliton, referred to, is
a former Mercer county lady, men,
Der of one of our oldest and most
prominent families. Her maiden
name was Lou Ann Prichard. She is
4 daughter of Jackson Prichard, de-
ceased, and a sister of j. G. Prichard
of Princeton. The lost money-was a
gift from her father. She is we'll
known by our people, and many re-
member of hearing of her loss of
money in Minneapolis % years ago.
The Journal continues the story as
follows:
The clearing of the mystery leaves
another for Mrs. Colliton for the
names of those who have struggled to
return the money were kept from her
and, though she wanted to return at
least part of the money to the family
she was told not to try to learn more
of the case as it would be impossible.
Methods used in getting the case
before the police and in getting the
money back to the owner only serv-
ed to hide more securely the identity
of the family that has been conscience
stricken since the money was taken.
The family was represented by an
agent who kept his own identity Sc
cret. Mrs. Colliton and the agent ar
ranged the exchange of money
through an attorney. The police de-
partment, like an exchange, brought
the two parties together.
Just one message reached Mrs. Col
liton from those who returned the
money and that was:
1--WE are happier today than we
have been in tWenty-three years.
Evidence of the struggle to raise
the fund and comply with the faith
er's dying wish was made clear by
the money.
Nearly half the amount was in 81
bills. pinched one at time from the
family income. Most of the remainder
bills in the packet.
Investigation necessary to establish
the identity of Mrs. Colliton and the
work preparatory to returning the
money so that the identities of the
family most concerned could be hid
den, took several days.
A man appeared at police head
quarters several days ago, paced the
floor. went out to the corridor sever
al times and finally stepped up to the
desk and spoke to William Dunn,
desk sergeant.
II have something want to say
but ] dc,l't exactly know how to go
at it. he said
Then apparently more at his ease,
lie, told why he had asked the police
to help him.
"a packet Of money was lost on
Nicollet avenue more than twenty
years ago and the person who lost it
can have it by proving identity and
the loss," said the man.
He then explained that he repre-
sent the family that wished to return
the money. hut said the person who
lost it could not be found. He asked
the police to help him.
TO prevent an attempt of persons
to put in false claim the MAI tod
Mr.. Dunn only the barest details CT
the case. He wanted the police 10
find the record of the robbery and
then find the person who lost the
money. He then told that sum Of
money less than $1,000 and more
than $500 was lost on Nicollet aven-
ue between Jan. Is and Feb. Is,
1891.
A search of the records gave Mr..
Dunn the information he wanted.
The loss was before the marriage of
the Collitons. Mrs. CollitOn had re-
ceived the money as gift from her
father and had placed it in the Bank
of Minneapolis, Nicollet avenue and
Third street. On Jan. II, 1891, she
went to the bank and drew out $500
intending to invest that amount.
She walked toward Fourth street,
going less than half block when
she looked at the handbag she was
carrying and saw that it was open.
The money was gone. The street
was crowded at the time and the
bag had been jostled aginst several
pedestrians. Mrs. COlliton believed
she had been robbed, but man and
woman who saw her searching the
and who were we'll known,
said that a man, woman and little
girl had been behind her when she
dropped the money. The man, she
said, picked it up and the three turn
ed and walked across Nicollet toward
the present site of the Model Clothing
company.
The little girl is one of the chill
dren who struggled to clear the fam
ily name and who today Joined in re-
paying the money. The loss was adj
yertised but no clue to the identity
OF the persons who found the money
was ever obtained.
This much Mr.. Dunn learned, but
to find the owner of the money was
a different matter. At the time of
the loss Mrs. Colliton lived in Bloom
ington. Her name before she was
married was Lou Ann Scott. BY
many interviews with Bloomington
pioneers Mr.. Dunn learned that Mrs.
Colliton was the one who lost the
money.
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