The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-14
Capital Stock of City Na- tional Bank, Worth $1,000 and Bank-Book, Showing Entries of $2,OOO, Last One Made in 1880, In An tique Article Bought By Boston Man.
Papers Show They Belong ed to, William Botsford, Old Resident of Newtown District, Who Died Many Years Ago-Law May Be Invoked to Make "Find- CTS Keepers" /

Long forgotten papers. a bank DOCK and x stock certificate found by acci- dent in a recess of an old desk pur- chased recently in Newtown, fell into the hands of G.. Burr Tucker, antique collector of Easton.
 Among the papers are four shares of capital stock in the City National bank of Bridgeport, valued at about $1,00O, and a bank book upon the Newtown Savings bank in which de- posits of $2,000 are shown. The last entry was made in the year 1880. With compound interest for the past 37 years the deposit would more than have doubled in amount.
 Inscriptions upon the papers indi- cate they were once owned by Will liam Botsford, an old resident of the Newtown district, formerly of New Milford, where members of the Bots ford family were numerous in the earlier days of the community. He has been dead for many years and the estate has long since passed through administration in the probate court.
 Perhaps a bar to present value will be the possibility of the bank book and stock certificate having been can celled and reissue authorized through the legal bonding process usually re- quired.
 As banks throughout the state have in many instances waiyed~the bonding clause until recent years. when they became more stringent in the rules relating to lost pass books, stock, etc., close inquiry may be instituted in the courts to ascertain the present status of the find made by the antique collector.
 G. Burr Tucker, one of the best known authorities on antiques in this section, and likewise known widely in New York city, purchased the desk last summer. It was taken to his home. b2
 While in the, hands of a cabinet maker for repairs, an inner recess not believed to be the ordinary secEet compartment often seen in the old type of mahogany desks was found. Within, covered with the dust of years and stained with the yellow of age were found the certificate and the handbook. They had evidently fall en through an interstice between the light partitions in the upper divisions ana IOOSeQ WlCn1n the rear outside and inside walls of the desk. They there have defied discovery for more than a generation and probably the full 37 years elapsed since the last entry was made in the savings book of the Newtown bank.
 At the City National bank a report CT for The Farmer was yesterday told the name of William Botsford no longer remained upon the stock sub- scription books of the institution. This fact however has no particular bearing upon the case, according to legal authorities, for stock transfers may have been made into other names, or carried in suspense ac- counts.
 Officials of the Newtown Savings bank, whose attention was called to the find yesterday, began immediate inquiry and after preliminary search have discovered trace of the account, which it is tentatively thought to have been closed by an administrator about IT years ago. Under what conditions the money was withdrawn will be the basis of immediate inves- tigation by the bank officers.
 Though in years gone by the recov- cry of valuables from the walls of houses and in old furniture was of common occurrence, no similar fortune has been reported in his county for the past decade.