TREASURE' TROVE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1974, 3 February 1914, Page 5

TREASURE' TROVE.

FOUR CLAIMANTS FOR A BAG OF ...-■■' GOLD. An inquest was held at St. Helen's , recently on the. sum of £151 10s., "said to bo treasure-trove, and which was found by two schoolboys. ■ .-Mr. Houstoun appeared for.- , the Chancellor of the Duchy of Laucester, Mr.,J3. Brewis for Colonel W. Leo Pilkington, lord of the manor of Sutton, and Mr. R.'-W. H. Thomas for tho St. Helen's Co-operative Society. All thesb parties made , claims to'the money, while a, claim was also entered by the United' Alkali Company. The Coroner, Mr. Brighouse, said that although he would have held the office of coroner for 'West Lancashire, for nearly • thirty years, this was the first time- he had had to exercise his jurisdiction of ■•- inquiring as- to treasuretrove. An Act of Parliament as far back a3 1276 directed the coroner to hold an/inquiry in all cases of treasiiretrove,_ and by' the Coroners Act of 1887 that jurisdiction was specially preserved. He referred to tho law on tho subject, and reminded the jury' that treas-urc-trovo consisted of gold or silver, ndvertently 'deposited anywhere without abandonment,-tho ownor being unknown. '■".■•.-

Evidence was ftlien called. Reginald and. 'William'Thomas, two schoolboys, who livo at' St. Helen's Junction, stated • that : they were on their way to school on November 20, and when crossmg some, wasteland behind Herbert Street they noticed a littlo bag in a hollow in tho ground; with a. grass- sod near, which- looked .as if it had just been pulled off. They found the bag was full of sovereigns, and after'giving three of their companions a sovereign each they took it home, whero they handed it- over, to Mrs. Lipvesley,.' who Jvas nursing "their mother.' /She. . took tlio money upstairs and commenced to count it, but when she got; to forty Mrs. Thomas said: "Stop: it is exciting mo."—(Laughter.) The. Chief Constable said thero were 10l sovereigns which were all Victorian .and one half-sovereign/which was an Edward dated 1906. They allappeared.as if they had not been in circulation for a long time. Mr. Houstoun said the Duchy were not grasping, and did not want to lay into their coffers every copper that was knocking about. In cost.cases thov returned ' trea'suro-trovo to ■ the : finders" ' Mr. Brewis mado a similar statement on .behalf of the' lord of the manor : ' ■ The -jury'found that tho money had .been foundby the boys, and that it was treasuro-trovc. ''" ' ' ' ■ ■

The Coroner ;ntimated that he would hold the money until the claimants had fought out their right to it; and then lie would hand it over. . .. '

foreman of tho jury suggested that they should have some .considera-tion)-and the Coroner said ho would recommend that they .should havo £1 each, t., which Mr. Houstoun and Mr.' Breffis'said:they would agree.

■An "Otago Daily Times" reporter visited tho five regular places of amusement in the city, one night last week, with a view to ascertaining tho amount of money spent by tho people of Dunedin and suburbs on entertainments. His conclusion is that an estimate of £100 as the amount of the receipts that night at tho fivq theatres is -within the mark. In other words, it is safe to say that £600 is tho amount that the public in Duncdin pay for their amusements every week. At intervals thero is a sixth theatre which opens its doors. This, of course, means an increase in tho figures.