STORY OF A WATCH

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 November 1927, Page 12

STORY OF A WATCH

STOLEN 44 YEARS AGO.

MELBOURNE, November .13

Forty-four years ago Mr. T. W. Butcher, a justice of the peace, of Emerald, lost a gold inscribed watch, which was presented to him by the citizens of Seymour. The watch was stolen from him in Brisbane in 18SJ. Ry a remarkable coincidence he recovered it on Saturday, hut the prospects of capturing the thief are remote.

After a period of residence at Mitchell’s Creek, Seymour, Mr Butcher was presented with a watch in 1883 by residents of the district as a token of their regard. The watch was appropriately inscribed, and Mr Butcher valued it greatly. Later in the year he went to Brisbane, and while attending to some business on a wharf he took his coat and waistcoat off and left them in the office of a friend. When he returned the watch had gone. Mr Butcher was greatly perturbed at his loss and extensive inquiries were made, but without result. After a lapse of some years, Mr. Butcher resigned himself to what seemed to be the certainty of never seeing his watch again. He returned to Victoria some time ago and took up residence at Emerald. On Saturday morning a man entered a jeweller’s shop in Bourke-street. and producing a gold watch, the back of which had worn thin with age, asked that certain repairs should be made to it. When the man had gone the jeweller examined the watch, and to his surprise found it engraved with the name of Mr Butcher, who by a coincidence was an old friend of his. He immediately communicated with Mr Butcher, wiio on examining the watch recognised it as the one he had lost.

The police were informed, and a detective visited the man who had left the watch with the joweller, and found him to be a highly respected retired Civil servant. This man said that the watch was a legacy from a dead brother who, he understood, had purchased it some years before his death at an auction sale in Melbourne for £5. He would be delighted to return the watch to its owner.