SURPRISING DISCOVERY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10518, 28 July 1910, Page 6

SURPRISING DISCOVERY.

AN OLD WOMAN'S HOAKD. (Per Piiess Association.) G'hristeiuireli, July 27. A discovery of a surprising nature was made yesterday at the shanty in Hill's road,'formerly occupied by Oeorgina Ambrose, or "Mother Duck," the old woman who died under such pathetic circumstances the other day. Arrangements were made by the police for the removal of the remarkable accumulation of rags and eld clothes with which the shanty had been packed, and also for delivery to be given of the fowls which were left on the premise.;. Constable Smith, who is stationed at St. Albans, visited the. place to supervise else removal of the property, ami aba to make a final soarcii for any property of value which might na\o been left, bv the? deceased. As the men were bundling the rags out of one el the compartments the constable noticed a small cloth bag fall to the iloor, and his attention was at oe.ec attracted to it by its apparent weight, l'le picked it up, and on examining the contents, lie brought to light the old woman's hidden treasure. The cloth bag had three enclosures —the lirst a chamois leaUier bag, the second a -.mailer leather bag, and the third a suiaii red silk purse, 'f lie purse was bulging with gold., and a count showed that there wore IS sovereigns in it. In the leather bag lying outside the purse wc re two heavy gojcl rim's worth about £3 each and twofold brooches—one j. largo rose-leaf design with a diamond in the centre, and the other a medium-siKod twisted snake d - <»'n. The brooches, if they are of golo, as'thev appear to be, would also be worth a few pounds. They were laded with long disuse and tarnished wuh dirt. The bag containing t!ie treasure had been hidden among the heap <:l rags which made the old woman s couch and its discovery was almost . a pure, accident. Constable Smith too* possession of the find, and to-day lodged it with the Public Trutri. It may.bo mentioned that the same oiiieer a lew weeks ago made an almost similar discoverv, which brought to light a matchbox containing no lower than 70 sovereigns in the house of an old man who was then in extremis, and who died shorflv afterwards.