Woman finds nearly $100,000, gives it back at Cracker Barrel.

[sinkingfeeling]

http://www.wkrn.com/global/story.asp?s=9493746

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - What would you do if you found a purse with thousands of dollars inside? Would you keep it or give it back?

Billy Watts, a grandmother of 12, said she tries to lead by example.

She found the purse with nearly $100,000 in it in a Cracker Barrel bathroom last week and gave it back.

"I said, ‘I won't tell you what I found in the bathroom, but give them my number if someone calls'," she recalled.

15 minutes later, Watts said a woman called her apartment. She identified the bag and a picture inside.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. I don't know which is odder, having $100k in a purse, or forgetting it in a Cracker Barrell restroom

[justabob]

35. no kidding

working in restaurants i have found wallets that clearly held people's just cashed pay checks... but 100,000?? Damn

[trueblue2007]

63. it was 97,000 per this article

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-odd-honest-patron,0,5476812.story

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A Murfreesboro woman says she returned $97,000 she claims to have found in a Cracker Barrel restroom, but police said Tuesday they have no report of the find. Billie Watts, 75, told The Daily News Journal that she discovered the money inside a tapestry bag hanging from a hook on a stall door last Thursday.

But five days later, the money and its anonymous owner remain something of a mystery in the community, where police said that they have no report of the find.

While digging through the bag to figure out its owner, Watts says she found a bundle of neatly stacked $1,000 bills.


Watts said she and her husband took the money home, but later called the restaurant back and asked if there was a lost-and-found department. She was told yes, and left her number.

A woman called about 15 minutes later and verified she was the owner by identifying pictures left in the bag. Watts returned the bag to the owner, whom she described as an elderly woman, but said she does not have the woman's last name or phone number.

Watts said the woman told her that the money came from selling her home and her belongings and that she was going to start a new life in Florida with her son. Watts says the woman offered to pay her $1,000, but Watts refused it.

A manager of the Cracker Barrel restaurant, Bill Shupp, said no employees actually saw the money or the elderly owner.

[LibertyLover]

76. Hmm this smells odd

They don't print the $1000 bill anymore, and haven't since 1969 or so. The Treasury destroys them when they find them, although they are still legal tender. Somethings in odd.

[sharp_stick]

2. Who the hell

carries around $100,000 in cash? Shit, I'd probably turn it in too, I'd be afraid it was drug money and the cartel would come looking for it.

[Fridays Child]

7. Pardon my cynicism, but...

...my thought, exactly.

[Dorian Gray]

23. Me too!

[wtmusic]

11. Yup, drug deal.

Methinks the story is not over.

[Luciferous]

38. Me too nt

[raccoon]

53. Yeah, remember the book WINDFALL, where this man found a wad of money

and got into mucho trouble with drug people over it.

[blondeatlast]

3. Thank you, Mrs. Watts, for helping me keep my faith in the belief that people are basically good. nt

[Kingofalldems]

4. Ala Jerry Lewis--

What a nice lady!

[peacetalksforall]

5. Q1. How much of a reward would you give? Q2. Would you insist on

giving the finder a reward

[TK421]

15. Answer one-at least 10% Answer two-these days, absolutely

and I say 10% since that would clear up all of my debt, so I would be more than happy with that

[razorman]

18. She was probably given a Cracker Barrel gift certificate.

[mudesi]

6. CASH?

Because if that was the case, it was probably obtained illegally and she shouldn't have given it back.

[Occulus]

42. "This note is legal tender for ALL DEBTS, public and private."

Emphasis mine.

We must get out of the mentality of large amounts of cash being obviously illegal. That is, quite simply, not the case at all.

[Orsino]

49. Even if we can't dispose of that meme entirely...

...you'd think we'd give someone the benefit of doubt during a time of multiple bank failures.

[rurallib]

8. The lady who lost the purse was on her way to Chicago to buy

a senate seat.
:spank: - sorry couldn't resist

[mrreowwr_kittty]

9. LOL.

Good one. :thumbsup:

[DonEBrook]

10. I don't care what they say, that was FUNNY!

:rofl: :D

[blondeatlast]

12. LOL! nt

[wtmusic]

13. DUzy. nt

[razorman]

20. Normally, that amount of money would only rent a senator for a few months.

[Luciferous]

37. Ha! nt

[Profprileasn]

75. Very Funny

Could have at least been used for bail money then or to hire an excellent lawyer.

[Fleshdancer]

14. If I had a purse with 100K in it, it would be duct taped to my body

I don't know what's more odd...carrying around that much $$, taking it with you to Cracker Barrel (when it's SOOO obvious that you can afford better food) or forgetting it in the bathroom.

[Vinca]

16. If it looked like drug money I'd be hard pressed to give it back.

I'd be more inclined to surprise the local food bank.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

25. what does drug money look like??? n/t

[Vinca]

33. Small bills, sitting in the bag next to vials of white powder and a crack pipe.

That would be a tip off.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

47. well that would be money mixed in with drugs...

and i am pretty sure if illegal drugs had been in the handbag then this story (if it is even true) would have gone a little differently...

sP

[The Inquisitive]

56. A very large quantity of unmarked bills

is typically a pretty solid tip off that some sort of transaction is going on that is intended to stay off the books

[ProdigalJunkMail]

67. i have large quantities of unmarked bills...

and they're not sequential either...does that make me a drug dealer? i think not...

by the way, you have unmarked bills too...if you have any cash, that is...

sP

[The Inquisitive]

68. doesn't make you a drug dealer

but it would certainly be reason to suspect that you might me.

Most of my bills are marked actually, you wouldn't happen to know a good money launderer do you?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

70. that's interesting...marked in what way?

not that i am offering services of a 'laundering' nature :-)

and i would disagree on the suspected drug dealer just cause you have your hands on a big pile of cash...there are lots of reasons why someone might carry around a wad of bills...big win at the casino...cash deal on a large ticket item where checks are not trusted (there are too many ways to forge just about any type of check)...general distrust of banks (my grandfather used to carry about three to four thousand cash with him most of the time...smart? no ... but he did it and he wouldn't take aspirin)...

sP

[blondeatlast]

17. Q for those who think it might have been drug money?

2 years ago or so, I carried $35,000 in cash from one bank to deposit in another.

Would you have thought it was drug money automatically?

Just curious--and I'll explain it in a few which I suppose gives away the fact that it wasn't drug money).

[eShirl]

21. did you stop off at Crackerbarrel on the way, though?

[blondeatlast]

26. Well, no. That's a valid point (I couldn't get to Bank B fast enough!)

Maybe I'm more anive than I thought; the drug money thing just didn't occur to me until I read it here.

[greguganus]

52. I would of peed my pants before stopping off at a restroom with 100 grand. n/t

[Terran]

30. And did you carry it in your purse?

I'm guessing not, but being a guy I don't know what women put in their purses (assuming you are one).

[blondeatlast]

34. Yes, I did. nt

[anigbrowl]

65. Why not just use a cashier's check?

I know they cost $30 or something like that, but that's exactly what they're for. You don't have to wait for it clear, it's pre-authorized by the issuing bank.

[Jim Lane]

19. A touching story but, sorry, I'm not buying it

Start with the improbabilities others have mentioned -- carrying around that much cash, and forgetting about it. Add in another: according to of the incident, Ms. Watts said that all the money was in $1,000 bills. Those bills were taken out of circulation years ago. Any still out there are indeed legal tender, but you can't go to a bank and get one.

Supposedly the rightful owner said that "the money came from selling her home and her belongings...." So someone had a sack of old $1,000 bills stashed away for many years, and brought it to a closing when buying a new house?

We have only Ms. Watts's statement here. No one at the Cracker Barrel saw the money or even the purse. Ms. Watts says she doesn't know the real owner's name or phone number. Thus, conveniently, there's no way to disprove her story.

I don't think it was a house sale. I don't think it was a drug deal. I think it was a hoax.

[Ikonoklast]

31. No $1000 bills in circulation since 1969

So, for 39 years someone has kept them around.


Right.

[Occulus]

43. 100 $1000 bills is thus *far* more valuable than $100,000.

They're collector's items at this point.

So, it's possible this story is really on the up-and-up. I've heard of larger sums being found in walls.

[Art_from_Ark]

61. That's right

Even the ones in well-worn condition are selling for a couple hundred dollars above face value.

[bertman]

39. Damn, Jim, you just took all the fun out of the story. Picky, picky, picky.

[Jim Lane]

45. Sorry, I'm a lawyer. I make my living being picky.

It's hard to turn it off in my private life. You're not the first person to complain about it. :)

[bertman]

50. I was being facetious. Your logic was impeccable. Good lawyering, Jim.

[joeunderdog]

44. And if you're altruistic, do you call the press about it?

Sounds like this story came from the mouth of the one who "found" the purse. Another elderly woman--who may have sounded just like her--called 15 minutes later to ask if anyone found anything. The purse was allegedly returned to an untraceable woman who had somehow saved 97 $1000 bills. The press was called. A heroin was born.

[Liberal In Texas]

48. "Heroin" may have had something to do with it, but I think you meant heroine.

Sorry, I'm not usually the spelling police, but that was too funny.

[joeunderdog]

51. I deserved that bigtime.

:rofl: :rofl::rofl: Freudian slip.

I stick by my theory, however. I tend to think this has less to do with drugs than a need for attention.



I've just decided that I am calling the press to report pulling a family from the icy depths of a frozen lake, saving their lives. More people should try this.

[yardwork]

57. So you think that Ms. Watts made it up?

[Jim Lane]

59. That's what I think, yes -- simplest explanation. (n/t)

[Indenturedebtor]

58. I agree. In a week there will be a fund set up for this "poor granny"

We'll all be encouraged to send 1-100 dollars to help the altruistic granny out. :eyes:

I'm not convinced that there are that many good people left.

[pinniped]

71. This is totally plausible.

Deniro had a bunch of $1000 bills in Midnight Run.

If the bag lady was smart, she could make a quick profit reselling those $1000 bills.

[nini]

22. She should have turned it over to the cops

and had the loser claim it there.

No claim - she ends up with it.


I wouldn't say this couldn't happen, but my first instinct would be something illegal. Who the hell doesn't get a cashier's check for that amount?

But then we all know there are some mighty stupid people in this world.

[Mz Pip]

24. I think she did the right thing.

She gave her phone number to the store with information that she had found something. I think that's how I would handle it. I'd want to be sure I was returning it to the right person.

[Bake]

27. She probably saw "No Country for Old Men"

And it scared the crap out of her.

Bake

[dysfunctional press]

28. the want of moneyis the root of all evil...

and since i wouldn't want anyone to be tempted into sin- i'd do the noble thing and keep the money. but i'd probably leave the purse in the bathroom to be found- after all- it might have sentimental value to the owner.

[SoCalDem]

29. The report I heard, said there were $1,000 bills

I'm guessing that the FBI may be paying Grandma a visit for info on the lady who left it behind..

Those bills have been out of circulation for DECADES.. It could be that the money has been "tax-free" for a while now :)

[Jim Lane]

32. That's the main reason I'm suspicious

I think the simplest explanation is that the woman making this report didn't know that $1,000 bills aren't in circulation any more, and she fabricated a story that had a telltale unrealistic element.

[Art_from_Ark]

62. I'm not sure what you mean by "tax-free for decades"

It's not against the law to collect US paper money. And if the notes "evaded" tax decades ago, then the statute of limitations has run out.

[applegrove]

36. I love stories like this. People are genrerally good I belive. But with so much

destruction and hate on the news... sometimes we forget.

[LisaL]

40. Why would anyone carry that much money in their purse?

People who sell their houses don't usually carry that money around in cash. For obvious reasons. Not everyone would return lost money found in the bathroom. You could lose all you own that way.

[Moochy]

41. Yeah

And furthermore, why would someone with $100,000 in cash eat at Cracker Barrel? :shrug:

[MilesColtrane]

46. I think Ms. Watts was trying to avoid...

...hearing the Cracker Barrel™ version of 'say hello to my leetle friend".

[tjwash]

54. Good ol' DU...where no good act is immune to being shit on.

:wow:

[The Inquisitive]

55. sounds like the beginning of 'No Country for Old Men'

[Crunchy Frog]

60. I probably would have taken the money and ran.

Anybody who can treat $100,000.00 that casually probably wouldn't miss it that much.

[anigbrowl]

66. I hear ya

I dream about finding money that's obviously of criminal origin or that has no identifying owner, so I can take it without a guilty conscience.

And before I get dumped on, I found a handbag at the bus stop not three weeks ago with several credit cards and about $100 in it, but I dug up the owner's # on a dry-cleaning receipt and got it back to her. Random anonymous cash is a whole different story.

[Selatius]

64. The story sounds like a freaking hoax to get attention. Nobody walks around with 1000 dollar bills.

Bills in 1000 dollar denominations have been out of circulation since the 1960s. It's hard to believe somebody who sold something or several things for 97,000 would not have put the money in a bank savings account back in the 1960s to earn a return on it. This was in a time when the banking system was pretty solid, compared to today. The post-Great Depression regulations worked until the neoliberals removed them in the 1990s.

[JackRiddler]

69. Think on how many times you've heard this same story...

I'll guess I've heard this exact story with minor variations a dozen times. Old person forgets bag with X thousand dollars cash, nice younger person finds and returns.

We're supposed to believe:

1) Someone who would carry all their cash around in a bag (implying serious mental problems) has $30,000 - $100,000 in the first place.

2) They're carrying it around in a bag.

3) They go to an Arby Wendy Tuesday's or the like.

4) They forget it there.

5) It's found by someone who then...

6) Turns it in / gives it back.

7) Someone lets the media know so they can report it.

Each of these steps is unlikely. Let's face it, the idea that someone gives it back and it gets reported implies there must be literally thousands of these cash-filled bags being carried around and hundreds being lost and found every year.

Thus: Every other bag lady is carrying a fortune!

[appleannie1]

72. That much money and no ID? The most I ever found was $2000

[LisaL]

73. Yep. Apparently the woman returned the money without even

knowing what was the last name or phone number of the elderly lady who lost this money.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/dec/09/woman-returns-97k-found-cracker-barrel-restroom/

[Profprileasn]

74. Good for her