Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-07-03
GAVE BACK FORTUNE
FOR SON 5 PHOTOGRAPH
Poor Widow Gladly Exchanged
$500 in Bonds. Obtained in
Mix-up of Hand Bags, for
Picture of Her Sol
dier Boy.

New York. July , Mrs Jane Riley.
= small. elderly widow went down to
Camp pton on Monday 10 visit her
son DENNIS private Of infantry IN the
National Army /, Was the first time
that Mrs Riley had visited Upton. an
in order that Dennis might 90 10 war as
befittlng long Dublin ancestry she
took along a Shamrock green sweater
which she had knitted Ii was near
night fall when she stepped OIL the tram
al the camp only 10 find that nobody
there knew Dennis Riley. In the gather
ing darkness the little mother who earns
her living by scrubblng, trudged around
the blg camp and was near the gIvlng-up
point when she hailed a soldier whlstilng
A. he washed dishes OUTSIDE one OF the
barrack
sure. know RILEY, the soldier re-
piled, "he went over to France about
week ago, You're his mother, hey, will
take this picture; he had this taken the
day he went away Said he thought
YOU q want To see hun IN his uniform.
/ was going to send IT To YOU but forgot
Sadly disappointed, but somewhat con-
soled by the fighter he looked In his
uniform. Mrs Riley walked back TO
the station All the trains had lett Tor
the night and she was forced 10 put up
at one Of the visitors houses at the can
Torment Yesterday morning Mrs Riley
arrived in the Pennsylvania Terminal
shortly before o clock and went INTO
the women : waiting room to rest She
carefully tucked her valise. containing
the sweater. the photograph, s cents,
and the remnants Of several sandwiches
along side her Shortly afterward MIS-.
J Morrison Thompson wealthy Chr
| cago woman, sat down beside Mrs
Riley 10 await the departure OF the Penn
| sylvana Limited Mrs Thompson placed
| her black walrus travelling bag containing,
| il later developed, s25, 1000 in Liberty
/ bonds. ST, 800 In cash, and lewclTy valued
| at $4,000 bcsid Mrs Rileys valise
| At 8 30 o clock the gates TO the Penn
! sylvanIa Limited were opened and Mrs.
| Thompson, snatching up one OF the
! bags. hurried to get aboard At the gate
/ her ticket was demanded and opening
| the bag she found it contained Dennis
Riley's photograph and the Shamrock
green sweater instead of $7l 800. Mrs.
| Thompson screamed that she had been
robbed and Stationmaster William ii
| Egan and several Federal detectives
started out TO find Mrs. Riley
The scrIbwoman, her mind over in
| France, had picked up the other bag
and was across Seventh Avenue at Thirty
third street on her way home before
| Egan located her. After one look al
the bag she was carrying Mrs. Riley
readily agreed to go back to Egan's OF
fee the more so because she was in a
panic of fear lest her sons picture would
be lost. Once in the Stationmasters
Office the bags were exchanged and Mrs
Thompson caught her train with on'
minute to spare Declaring that SIN
wouldn t trade Dennis's picture in uni
form" for all the bags Of money in tn
world. Mrs Riley took the photograph
ont of that unsafe bag. put il in the bosom
of her dress, and went out scorning Al
offer Of lighter job on the ground tha
she made plenty scrIbblng ,kyScrapers