By: Marlene Oxender
Montpelier, Ohio
It was announced at the merchants’ drawing that a sum of money had been found. If identified, it could be claimed at the Edgerton Hardware. It was December of 1961.
Until I found one of my mother’s newspaper clippings that recounted the story, I never knew my brother Ed had found some cash when he was twelve years old.
According to the article, Eddie was Christmas shopping for his family on a Saturday morning when he found some folded money in the snow. He rushed into the hardware where his father worked and gave the cash to Harriet.
If you’re an Edgerton old-timer, you can fill in the blank with Harriet’s last name – Siebenaler.
When Harriet unfolded the money, they counted $25.00. Back then, one dollar had the buying power of more than $10.00 today. That means someone was missing the equivalent of a little over $250.00.
The name of the person who’d lost the money was not reported in the newspaper. But when you live in a small town, everyone would have known the story.
Like a scene out of a black-and-white movie, I could easily picture a twelve-year-old boy shopping in a small town during the holidays. I can imagine the style of his coat and hat as he reached down to pick up the money and ran into the store where his father worked.
Anyone who knew Harriet can still hear her soft voice as she suggested they put the money in safekeeping until someone could claim it.
If you’ve perused old newspapers, you’ve seen the merchant advertisements and the businesses in existence at that time. Within their advertisements are pictures of the gifts available during the holiday season.
If a screenwriter were to write a story that included a scene about shopping in the early 1960s, they’d write a holiday band into the scene. We’d clearly hear the tuba. There’d be shoppers rushing home with their treasures.
My mom and dad were the parents of eight children back in December of 1961. Thankfully Mom took time out to write the following story of her son finding some folded cash and Harriet Siebenaler coming up with the idea of how best to locate the person who’d lost their holiday spending money.
Ed remembers attending the merchants’ drawing and learning that Mrs. Frieda Burlew had lost the cash that her oldest son had given to her. It was a story with a happy ending.
“Spirit Of Christmas In 12-Yr Old’s Find”
Saturday afternoon just before the merchants drawing, it was announced that a sum of money had been found by a boy that morning and if identified it could be claimed at the Edgerton Hardware.
The amount of the money was $25.00 and the boy was 12 year old Eddie Kimpel who was doing his Christmas shopping for his family Saturday morning.
When crossing the street near the hardware, Eddie saw the folded money in the snow. He rushed into the hardware where his dad works.
Upon learning his dad was not there, he gave the money to Harriet. It wasn’t until the bills were unfolded that he realized the amount of the money he had found.
It was decided to put it in an envelope and wait to see if anyone inquired about it and if not, to have it announced at the 4:30 drawing.
All day Eddie dreamed of what $25.00 would buy and being human he secretly wished some rich person had lost it and wouldn’t miss it, but as the story unfolds it was greatly missed by a mother who had received the money from her son to buy Christmas presents for her family.
It was learned that after she had lost the money she was “just sick.” She felt that whoever found it would keep it and the chances of finding it and the excuses for losing it were both mighty slim.
She thought if she came to the drawing in the afternoon she might win a $20 award to sort of replace the lost $25.00.
Eddie attended the drawing and stood near the mother and daughter when the announcement was made. He knew by their anxious looks that they were really the losers.
Afterwards at the hardware, when the identification was made and the money given to the mother, she turned with tears in her eyes and with a “Bless your little heart,” a pat on the shoulder and gave a $1.00 reward to him for his honesty.
Sometimes I feel as if I’ve found an old diary. A diary that someone else wrote. When we’re young, we start accumulating things – including memories. When we’re old, we start giving things away – including memories.
When a grandparent shares a story with us, it may be after they’re gone before we see what they did there. They were sharing memories that would leave us with memories of our own.
Memories of their voice. Memories of their mannerisms. Their wit. The way in which they blessed us with a gift only they could give – a few paragraphs from within a chapter of the story of their life.
The “Spirit of Christmas” made headlines that year.
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Marlene Oxender is a writer, speaker, and author. She writes about growing up in the small town of Edgerton, her ten siblings, the memorabilia in her parents’ estate, and her late younger brother, Stevie Kimpel, who was born with Down syndrome. Her three published books, Picket Fences, Stevie, and “Grandma, You Already Am Old!” are available on Amazon. Marlene can be reached at mpoxender@gmail.com