THE WAY WE DO IN NELSON.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 167, 18 July 1870, Page 2

THE WAY WE DO IN NELSON.

' To the Editor of the Nelson Evening Mail. ! Sie— l often go ferreting 'about "our little town for news, but seldom/ with such success as attended my peregrinations this morning, when I heard a little tale that is almost, but not quite, too good. to be true. I will tell it to you as 'twas told to me. At about 11 o'clock ou Saturday evening the boom of a gun reverberated through the town, and it at once became known that the long-expected Phcebe had arrived. A few people collected on the wharf to see her, and among them Avas a sort of . semi-official, who transacts some of the . shipping business of the wharf. To him . there were thrown over the ship's side 32 mail bags, and two boxes containing 10,000 sovereigns for one of the banks in the town, and then away steamed the good ship leaving our unfortunate goldkeeper in a most unhappy predicament. I After a time a trustworthy friend approaches, to whom was entrusted the charge of the gold while the custodian \ went in search of a cab, in which , hags, boxes, and keeper were placed, and away they went up to town.. The mails 1 were discharged at the Post Office, and thu cab proceeded to the bank. Arrived there, rabby, who scented another fare, landed his passenger with the two boxes on the pavement and away he went. Gohlkeeper knocks at the door— Manager appears — At fist he declines, to take ■ delivery of the gold as he has not got the keys of tlie snle, then agrees to take it in ' but refuses ro give a receipt. That won't ' do for me says the unhappy man,, and so while the manager returns to his blankets, i he sits on his boxes in the clear frosty air, rapidly but. energetically rehearsing the Commination Service or something that ! j sounded very like it. After a time a'good i-l Samaritan .appears ;in the street, uud to '

him the gold-afflicted individual did his lale unfold. Oh !is that all, says Samaritan, I know a bauk where I forget the rest of the quotation, but I meau come along to anotlier bank. They went. They knocked at the doors, they coughed through the keyholes, they tapped at the windows; but all to no effect. At last 'Samaritan hits the right window and, after . waiting a moment, it is thrown open and to his eorror and dismay a six barrel revolver is placed at his head while a stern voice demands what he is doing there. A feww i>rds explain his errand and the gentleman at the butfc end of the revolver smiles as he agrees at once to take charge of the gold which he imagines is for his establishment. The boxes are brought in, but the candle reveals the fact that they are addressed to another house, so manager No. 2. refuses to take (.-barge, and once more the boxes and the keeper are out in the cold. Fortunately a policemen was passing, and in reply to the pitiful enquiry, what shall I do with my gold, he suggested that the sovereigns and the man in charge should be locked up for the night in the police station. Tired with his heavy freight, frozen with the bitter cold, and disgusted to find that ho could find nobody to receive 10,000 sovereigns he willingly agreed, went to the station,- and taking one five thousand for his owu pillow he gave the other to his mate, and failing asleep he dreamt that he was doomed for ever and ever to walk about in the biting frost with a box cf gold under each : arm- of which uo one would relieve him. I shouldn't like to be the Captain of that steamer if tbe gold had beeu lost, and I shouldn't like to be left in the streets, even of Nelson, at one o'clock in the morning with such a lot of money in my charge, but I should like to be a banker who could afford to refuse to take delivery of £10,000 because it didn't come in proper hours. Wouldn't you ? Your's, &0.._ Peeping Tom.