The pioneer-review. [volume] (Philip, Haakon County, S.D.) 1920-current, 1920-07-22
CAST OFF BURDEN
Load of Thirty Years Lifted From
Woman's Heart
Attempted Restitution OF Sum OF
Money Which She Had Found and
Kept When In Dire Extremity
Filled Her With Joy.

Thank God, have found you at
last, ! must see you.' -
1t was the quavering voice of an old
woman. conscience stricken for 80
years because she had kept 500 that
did not belong to her and now able to
pay with her dead sons insurance
money.
She was speaking over the telephone
In Philadelphia to d. Il. Irving. head
of Irving Il Leiper, cotton. Chester.
'''But ] do not know you," he said,
speaking from his mill. why do you
want to see meT
II owe you money" said the woman.
Her insistence caused him to agree to
meet her In Broad street station,
where she was to wear shawl over
her left arm and hold bag In her
right hand as marks of recognition.
The manufacturer met her. With
her was a younger woman. i
Thirty years ago, she told him. she
was walking In Philadelphia when she
saw man dropping wallet.
She described the man. TX was
close description of James Irving, Mr.
Irving's father. who died years ago
and who was heir of James Irving &
Sons. wool manufacturers, Iryington.
Il picked up the wallet" the woman
said 1T contained 500 bill and two
pennies. There was also q card In It.
do not remember all that was on the
card. But i remember the name Irv-
| ing, and wool merchant
81 had lost my husband only three
| months before. did not know how TO
| pay the rent. / had no shoes for my
children. | was horribly tempted. And
| | did not resist. / did not overfake
the owner of the wallet. kept the
! money.
"But ever since then 1t has been on
| my mind, on my conscience. There
was not day that did not think OF
that money. There was not night that
| | did not ask God in my prayer to for
/ give me. 1t was the only dishonest
/ thing ever did.
aI kept the wallet and the card with
| me always, hoping that SOME day !,
| might be able TO repay. But ! could
not was poor all my life. And 20
years ago. In moving. lost the wallet
| and the card.
j "But did not forget the name.
/ Three months ago my oldest son died.
/ He left me some money through an in
surance. II was the first money |
ever had Please. please, sir. take H."
i she said as she stretched out her hand.
| She held five $40 bills.
| When Mr.. Irving asked her how she
had found him she told him she had
telephoned to hundreds of ''Irvings'' in
| the last three months. She telephoned
| to Irvings in Philadelphia. Wilmington
and even 10 Pittsburgh and New York.
but always received the same curt re-
I ply:
You must have the wrong party"
1 When Mr.. Irving told the woman he
! could not accept the money because he
1 did not know that his father ever lost
1t she nearly broke down. She begged
him to take It.
"Wont you please take this terrible
load of my heart at iast?' -
The manufacturer promised her to
/ ask his oldest sister II she remembered
the occurrence. But his sister remein-
hered 1t only vaguely II at all. And
/ Mr.. Irving wrote a letter to the wonn-
an asking her to favor him by ac-
cepting the 500 as gift.
The name OF the woman, who lives
| In Tioga. was not disclosed. --Philadel-
phia Evening Bulletin.