A rusty old safe in a lonely three-room farm house on the Mayson and Turner's ferry road has been hugging thousands of dollars in greenbacks and gold within its iron bosom for more than half a century. Yesterday morning the doors of the safe were swung back on the creaking hinges and the horde of wealth was exposed for the first time to the wondering gaze of the heirs to the fortune. Later it was removed in bags to the big safety vaults of the Neal Loan and Banking company.

The money, nearly $7,000, is the accumulation of years of honest toil and frugal living by Edward Elliott, who died in December at the ripe old age of 81 years.   He was a  farmer and owned two hundred acres of rich land in the vicinity of the city dumping grounds, two miles and a half from the union depot. He inherited the land from his father and lived in the little farm house close to the public road since his boyhood days.

His wife, who survives him, and who is principal heir to the fortune, perhaps is 79 years of age. Since the death of her husband she has lived almost alone in the cottage with the iron safe and its precious contents, her only companion being a granddaughter 16 years of age. She did not know until yesterday that the safe held the big store of gold, though she knew her husband had saved money during his life time.

On the advice of her lawyer, who feared that the current rumors of the deceased farmer's savings might tempt evil persons to crime in search of the wealth, she sent for an official of the bank yesterday and in the presence of the attorney, and several relatives opened the safe, the combination of which had been left to her by her husband at his death.

The sight which met the eyes of the party when the doors creaked back was startling. Gold, rich, yellow pieces of it, filled every drawer. There was enough to delight the soul of any gloating j miser and cause him to run his fingers through the I pile and whisper, "Ha, ha, my .pretty boys, and you are mine, mine, mine"! Gaspard would have reveled in it. Greenbacks were piled in the pigeon; holes, Silver pieces were in a box in the large compartment, of the safe.

"I didn't dream there was that much money in in there," was Mrs. Elliott's comment.

The little hand satchel which had been brought out by the bank official in which to convey the money to bank was discarded at the sight of the wealth and bags were procured. The gold and silver was counted carefully and raked into the sacks. When the count of the greenbacks began it was discovered that they were stuck together from age. Papers in the safe showed that some of the money had been lying there since the early fifties. The atmosphere of the, safe was impregnated with veritable money musk.

When the attorney and the bank officials had reached the bank and the wealth was safely stored in the vaults they heaved a sigh of relief, glad to be rid of the heavy burden and to see it safe within the steel walls.
Jackson Argus1900-01-19 Page 1