Found money

[expat]

About this time of year, I sometimes think of years past.

34 (or so) years ago, I was new to Canada and I lived in a semi rural area. I had an elderly neighbour, Call him Al, nice enough guy, was known to have been a Rum Runner with a fast boat back during prohibition, but (not surprisingly) he kept himself to himself, at least, to a young stranger, from another country.

I had bought a parcel of land back in 1980, when I had a good job and house prices were booming. By 84 I had a half built house, 17 1/2% mortgage, the company I worked for had gone belly-up, and was VERY top heavy in a distressed housing market.

One day I got word that old Al was dead, his mail had not been collected for a couple of weeks, he had died in bed, nobody knew of any living family.

The old house sat derelict and I would check it out every so often, just to be sure kids were not getting in or smashing windows.
I well remember looking at the wood going to waste in his wood shed, as I could not afford to heat my unfinished house any other way. But felt taking Al's wood was not right.

After about 18 months a D8 Cat was delivered one morning as I set off to my minimum wage job. I guess the estate had been settled, and the old house was comming down.

When I got home, the neighbourhood was a-buzz with the news. As the Cat tore into Al's wood shed, money started to fly everywhere. Someone called the RCMP (Police) and the money collected and taken away.
Estimated amount was $30k (which just happened to be the amount of my mortgage)

I remember not sleeping well that night. I consider myself a fairly moral, honest person, but at that time I was in dire straights (one month I had $20 to live on!)
There is no doubt in my mind, if I had known the money was there or found it, I would have taken it.
The fact it happened to be the same amount as I owed, I may have even felt I was fated to 'get' it.

Today, I would not do such a thing.

I think back and wonder how my life might have changed if I had found that money

 

[The_Jeff]

 

[901Memphis]

Funny story

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Would you feel guilty taking Confederate money found hidden in a armoire that you bought at auction?

 

[aquariuscsm]

I honestly feel if he was looking down on you using his long lost hidden money to sustain and maintain your life,he would've wanted it that way. I'm not sure how close y'all were,if even at all,but in the end it got sucked up by the government,which is the absolute WORST thing that could possibly happen to it.

 

[The motor guy]

Reminds me of a time I found $60 in a bush by the pool house in my neighborhood. Mom made me give it to the life guard......Then I mention it five years later she tells me that was stupid of her and she should have let me kept it if nobody came to claim it.

 

[Silk]

Back in the '70's I knew an old curmudgeon who was very influencial in our group of friends...he had some old British bikes the same as we used to ride, and his car, which he hardly ever drove was an Austin Sheerline. When he died I wanted to buy the Sheerline....but there was discord in the family, and there was a flat no to anything going to friends. They were also shearching for the missing money, nearly tore the house apart.

Many years later I'm talking to his sons ex, and she tels me her mother got involved with the old boy, and he told her where the money was - in one of the doors of the Sheerline! I remember seeing the car out in a paddock rusting away. If I'd have got the car and later found the money, it wouldn't have gone to the family, it would've gone to my mates ex, as he had died by then too...i'm still in contact with her.

 

[crazyoildude]

$30,000 is not life changing to most of us but whoever bought the property probably took it unless the Cops got it not to say anything bad about the cops but they are human also.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Would you feel guilty taking Confederate money found hidden in a armoire that you bought at auction?



Sounds like you have a story?


$30,000 does not sound like a huge amount today, but if you find yourself working 40 hours per week on shift work, working the hot line in a truck tire retreading plant, just to meet the interest payments on the mortgage......it's plenty!

The alternative would have been bankruptcy and leaving the country.


Half the neighbourhood had counted the money before the cops arrived.

No idea who got the money. I suspect it went to the government.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I honestly feel if he was looking down on you using his long lost hidden money to sustain and maintain your life,he would've wanted it that way. I'm not sure how close y'all were,if even at all,but in the end it got sucked up by the government,which is the absolute WORST thing that could possibly happen to it.



+1

 

[Supercalifragili]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I honestly feel if he was looking down on you using his long lost hidden money to sustain and maintain your life,he would've wanted it that way. I'm not sure how close y'all were,if even at all,but in the end it got sucked up by the government,which is the absolute WORST thing that could possibly happen to it.



+1


+2

 

[Andy636]

Sometimes life takes interesting turns...

 

[Garak]

Oh well, the public trustee probably got half of it anyhow.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
$30,000 is not life changing to most of us but whoever bought the property probably took it unless the Cops got it not to say anything bad about the cops but they are human also.


$30,000 in 1980 would be equal to about $85,000 today.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

Great story, and maybe you're lucky. That situation is explored often in fiction, usually with bad results. "No Country for Old Men" and "A Simple Plan" come to mind.

I wonder how often people take the money in real life? If they did and it turned out well, I guess they wouldn't be posting about it online.

 

[Whitewolf]

Originally Posted By: Rhymingmechanic

I wonder how often people take the money in real life? If they did and it turned out well, I guess they wouldn't be posting about it online.

They run for office!

 

[andrewg]

Sounds like regardless of not finding and taking that $30k, you survived and are here to tell us this story.

Who knows what would have happened if you'd gotten a hold of that money. Probably mostly good things, but still....lots of "what if's".

Maybe because of how you feel about it today, if you would have gotten a hold of that $30k, you would have dealt with some guilt later in life. You could have felt awful that you didn't earn the money. Or maybe family relations of the old guy could have been located. Then what would you have done? One undeniable fact, you would have had to have been dishonest about finding it. Kind of an unpleasant thing....to hang on to a deception or lie for decades.

It turned out right in the end...regardless of what happened to the money.

 

[expat]

Originally Posted By: andrewg
Sounds like regardless of not finding and taking that $30k, you survived and are here to tell us this story.

Who knows what would have happened if you'd gotten a hold of that money. Probably mostly good things, but still....lots of "what if's".

Maybe because of how you feel about it today, if you would have gotten a hold of that $30k, you would have dealt with some guilt later in life. You could have felt awful that you didn't earn the money. Or maybe family relations of the old guy could have been located. Then what would you have done? One undeniable fact, you would have had to have been dishonest about finding it. Kind of an unpleasant thing....to hang on to a deception or lie for decades.

It turned out right in the end...regardless of what happened to the money.



That's the way I feel today.
Those hard times helped shape my life. Up until that time, carreer wise, things had pretty much gone 'my way' but a downturn in the economy changed everyting.

As I said, if I had found the money, I'm sure I would have taken it. I even think I may have felt destined to take it!
But how would my life have unfolded from there?

As it happened (and I find it difficult to write about this)
Soon after this had happened, I was at work at the tire plant, and the Boss (a real PIG of a man) started reaming out a co-worker, shouting in his face. using the F bomb. He knew those of us working there had no choice.

Well, I had been on the line for two years, it was VERY physical work, my arms and shoulders were very strong, and most of the time I had a 30" tire Iron in my hand (I carried it almost without thinking)
In a flash I knew that if 'I' had been on the receiving end of the Bosses verbal abuse, at that instant, I would have hit him with the tire Iron, and likely killed him!!

About 5 seconds later I broke down, crying, shocked by myself.

I quit the same day.

With no work, and no income, I walked the town going from door to door asking for work.

After 2 days, I happened in to a machine shop, that just happened to need a part delivered to the Bus Deport.
I quickly said "I'll do it"

To cut a long story short, that one errand turned into a delivery service that had me running 300 miles, 12 hours per day, 6 days per week.

I sold the bussiness in 89, and life has been easy (more or less) ever since.

Fate!

 

[The_Jeff]

My great-aunt told my mom 60 years ago there was something special in a toolbox.

Great aunt died around y2k and the guys doing the house clear-out to prep it for sale were going through the toolbox and found a multi-carat diamond ring. Everyone had forgotten about it. They forwarded it to the estate.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: expat
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Sounds like regardless of not finding and taking that $30k, you survived and are here to tell us this story.

Who knows what would have happened if you'd gotten a hold of that money. Probably mostly good things, but still....lots of "what if's".

Maybe because of how you feel about it today, if you would have gotten a hold of that $30k, you would have dealt with some guilt later in life. You could have felt awful that you didn't earn the money. Or maybe family relations of the old guy could have been located. Then what would you have done? One undeniable fact, you would have had to have been dishonest about finding it. Kind of an unpleasant thing....to hang on to a deception or lie for decades.

It turned out right in the end...regardless of what happened to the money.



That's the way I feel today.
Those hard times helped shape my life. Up until that time, carreer wise, things had pretty much gone 'my way' but a downturn in the economy changed everyting.

As I said, if I had found the money, I'm sure I would have taken it. I even think I may have felt destined to take it!
But how would my life have unfolded from there?

As it happened (and I find it difficult to write about this)
Soon after this had happened, I was at work at the tire plant, and the Boss (a real PIG of a man) started reaming out a co-worker, shouting in his face. using the F bomb. He knew those of us working there had no choice.

Well, I had been on the line for two years, it was VERY physical work, my arms and shoulders were very strong, and most of the time I had a 30" tire Iron in my hand (I carried it almost without thinking)
In a flash I knew that if 'I' had been on the receiving end of the Bosses verbal abuse, at that instant, I would have hit him with the tire Iron, and likely killed him!!

About 5 seconds later I broke down, crying, shocked by myself.

I quit the same day.

With no work, and no income, I walked the town going from door to door asking for work.

After 2 days, I happened in to a machine shop, that just happened to need a part delivered to the Bus Deport.
I quickly said "I'll do it"

To cut a long story short, that one errand turned into a delivery service that had me running 300 miles, 12 hours per day, 6 days per week.

I sold the bussiness in 89, and life has been easy (more or less) ever since.

Fate!


Wow...great story man.

Thanks for sharing that.