A STRANGE STORY. (From the Bolton Chronicle.)

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 476, 23 February 1850, Page 4

A STRANGE STORY. (From the Bolton Chronicle.)

On Saturday, July 15, a letter was received toy Messrs. P. R. Arrowsmith & Co., of this town, from Bradford, Yorkshire, containing a Bank of England note for £500, another for £50, and a bill of exchange for £100. These Mr. Arrowsmith handed over in his regular -mode of business to Mr. William Lomax, his 'cashier, who took or sent, as he supposed, the whole to the bank of Bolton, and made an en■try accordingly in his cash book. The bant book was then at the bank, so that no memorandum of the payment was received or expected. After the expiration of about five "weeks, upon comparing the -bank-book with cash-book it was found that no entry for these sums was in the bank-book. Inquiry was then made at the bank, but nothing was known of the money, nor was there any existing in any book or -paper there-; and after searching, no trace could be found -of the missing money. In fact, the at the bank denied ever having received the sum, or knowing anything of the transaction. Before the discovery of the loss the bill had become dne ; but upon enquiry, after the loss was dis- • covered, it was found that it had not been presented for payment. It was, therefore, 'concluded, that as the notes and bill could not be found at the bank, nor any trace or entry 'Connected with them, the probability was that they were lost or stolen, 'and that the bill had 'been destroyed to prevent detection. Mr. Lomax had a distinct f e'collectionof having received the notes, T&c, from Mr. Arrowsmitti, but from the length of time -that had elapsed when the loss was discovered, he could not remember what 'he had done with them — ,wheiher he had taken them Jo the bank, or sent ■them by the accustomed messenger ; nor -could the messenger recollect anything about them. As migl.t be expected, this unaccountable loss occasioned great anxiety to Mr. Lomax ; and, in this emergency, he applied to a friend to whom the discovery of Mr. Wood's cash -box was known, to ascertain the probability of the notes, &c, being found by the aid bt The friend replied that he saw no greater difficulty in this case than in Wood's, and recommended him to make tbe inquiry, which he said he would do, if only 'for his own satisfaction. On Friday, August 24, M«\ Lomax, accompanied by Mr. F. Jones, of Ashburner--street, Bolton, called on Mr. Haddock for this "purpose. The clairvoyante was put into -•a psychic state, and then, into connexion with Mr. Lomax. She directly asked for " the pa,per," meaning the letter in which the notes and%ill were enclosed ; but this Mr. Lomax did -not happen to have in his possession, and ' s'hVsaid she could not tell anything without it. This sitting, therefore, was so far useless. The next day Mr. Lomax brought the letter, ' and Mri "Haddock requested that the contents "might not be communicated to him, lest it should- be supposed that he bad suggested "anything to her. After considerable thought the clairvoyante said that there had been three different papers for money in that letter, not Post office orders, but papers that came dut of a place where people kept money in (a bank)*and were to be taken to another place of a similar kind ; that these papers came in the letter to another gentleman (Mr. Arrowsmith), who gave them to the one present (Mr. Lomax) who put them in a paper and put them in a red book that wrapped round (a pocket-book). Mr. Lomax then, to the surprise of Mr, Haddock, pulled from his coat pocket a deep red pocket-book, made just as she bad described it, and said that was the book in which he was in the habit of placing similar papers. Mr. Lomax said that the clairvoyante was right ; that the letter contained two Bank of England notes and a bill of exchange, but did not *ay what was the value of the notes. Mr. Haddock then put a JlO Bank of England note into the clarvoyan'te's band. She said that two of the papers were like that, but "TOore valuable, and that the black and white word at the corner was longer. She further • «atf-Wat these .note's, '&c, were taken to a

place where money was kept (a bank) down there (pointing towards Deansgate.) Beyond this no further enquiry was made at this sitting. On Monday Mr. Lomax called again. The clairvoyante went over the case again, entering more minutely into particulars. She persisted in her former statements, that she could see the " marks" of the notes in the red pocket book, and could see them in the banking bouse : that they were in paper, and put along with many more papers in a part of the bank; that' they -were taken by a man at the bank, who put them aside without making any entry or taking any further notice of them. She said that the people at the bank did not mean to do wrong, but that it arose from want of due attention. Upon its being stated that she might be wrong, and requesting her to look elsewhere, she said that it was no use ; that she could »cc they were in the bank, and nowhere else ; that she could not say anything else, without saying what was not true ; and that if search was made in the bank, there, she said, they would be found. In the evening Mr. Arrowsmith, Mr. Makant, and Mr. Jones -came again, and she was put into the psychic state to repeat these particulars in their presence, which she did. Mr. Haddock then said to Mr. Arrowsmith that he was tolerably confident that the clairvoyante was right, and that be should recommend him to go next dayto the bank, and insist on a further search, stating that he felt convinced, from inquiries he had made, that his cashier had brought the money there. Mr. Makant also urged the same course on Mr. Arrowsmith. The following morning, (Tuesday, August 28) Mr. Arrowsmith went to the bank, and insisted on further search. He was told that, after sucfi a search as had been made it was useless ; but that to satisfy him, it should be ■made again. Mr, Arrowsmith then left for Manchester, and after his departure a further search was made, and among a lot, of papers in an inner room at the iankj which were not likely to have been meddled with for years, or which might never fcave been noticed again, were found the notes and bill wrapped in paper, just as the clairvoyan.e had described them.