HIDDEN WEALTH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 248, 19 October 1937, Page 5

HIDDEN WEALTH.

£2000 IN NOTES.

CHARWOMAN'S FORTUNE ' ] MONET IN PAPER BAGS. ' (Special.—By Air Mail.) ' LONDON, October 2. In the early mornings, or after the office staff left at night, a London charwoman performed her duties with brush and pail. Often she walked a good part of the way home, from time to time sitting on a doorstep to rest. There ehe made a figure to stir sympathy—she looked so ; weary and forlorn. Kind-hearted passers-by would give her a smile and: occasionally the lady of the house wouldjj find her and offer her refreshment. The other day, while crossing the' 1 street, the charwoman wae knockexlj down by e. motor vehicle and taken toj' hospital. She was not severely hurt, but wae very restless. There seemed something! on her mind. She was anxious to rindj someone who could be put in charge of| her business affaire. At last someone responsible was found to whom she handed a key. Her messenger was bidden to search her room and remove her valuables to thei bank. He was to see that nothing wasj overlooked. | When this messenger reached the. charwoman's home and began his search for valuables in the simply furnished apartments he discovered under the bed a paper bag stuffed with £1 notes, and many similar bags were stowed away near it. All of them proved to be full of money. In cupboards and drawers and elee-1 where there were more of such parcels. Many "Bradburys" Found. These have now been lodged at a bank in the. city with contents totalling about £2000.

Large numbers of the £1 notes ere the Bradburye of the early war period, bearing a picture of the Houses of Parliament. There are piles of 10/ notes, and one bag contained some foreign money, including German marks long obsolete. It has also been discovered that ehe has £700 in a deposit account in a West End bank. Relatives of the woman cannot explain her possession of this fortune. They always regarded her as very poor. Some of them had not heard of her for fio many years they thought she was dead.