A THIEF WITH SOME NERVE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9752, 23 February 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

A THIEF WITH SOME NERVE.

STEALS THE COLLECTION IN CHURCH. The Presbyterian Church at Germanlown, Philadelphia, was crowded with a fashionable congregation, when the Rev. Dr. Charles Wood preached on "The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil." At the conclusion of the service someone stole the contributions, which amounted to about £00. All the congregation had nob loft the church when the fact that the money was missing was discovered by Treasurer Samuel Dennison. He immediately informed Dr. Wood, who was conversing with several persons. A search was made immediately by those present. It was thought that, possibly, tho bag which contained it had been mislaid. It could not be found, and the conclusion was reached that it had been carried off by a thief. There was a special collection on that day for the Sunday-school. After the money was received in the contribution-boxos ib was dumped into a little bag, as had been the practice, and Treasurer Dennison took charge of it. Mr. Dennison has been in the habit of depositing the money in a corner of a pew until the service ended, and, when leaving tho church, taking it with him. On this occasion he did nob,

unfortunately, deviate from what had been his method of attending to his duties for years. The money was carefully laid in a corner of the pew by Mr. Dennison, and while tho congregation was leaving, after the service was finished, he joined in conversation for only a few minutes with several persons ; when he went back to the pew the monoy was gone. While Pastor Wood was talking to several of the parishioners, a man, who was a stranger, and who is supposed to have been the thief, stepped up to him and complimented him on his pulpit oratory. "For years," said the stranger, " I have heard repeatedly of the fashionable character of your congregation, of your eloquence as a minister, and of the magnificence of your edifice. lam now convinced, after attend-

ing service to-day, that nothing I have heard about this church has been magnified." Dr. Wood patted tho stranger on th back in his customary friendly manner, and said lie would be glad to have the pleasure of numbering him among the members of his congregation. The man's face beamed with smiles at the reception accorded him by the popular pastor, and, after repeating very briefly again his impression of the church, ho bowed to those standing close to him and walked out. Several of those who were near the minister remarked that they had never seen the man before. It was after ho had left the edifice that Treasurer Dennison informed Pastor Wood that the money was missing. In order to overtake tho stranger, who was suspected of being the thief, a courier was despatched immediately to the stationhouse. Special-policeman Cairns was detailed on the case, and ordered to make an investigation at once, and within one half hour- a description of the man was forwarded to the central station. A squad of police was sent in search of the man to the several stations on the railroads, but no i trace of him could be found. The police ' felt confident from the facts in the case ' that the theft was not committod by a member of the congregation, hut by a professional thief, whom they believed to be , the stranger. {