Ernest Lindholm, while installing posts under the sidewalk in front of Harry Levoy’s establishment, uncovered a hidden stash of gold coins dating back to 1887. The find, amounting to $470, raises questions about its origins and rightful ownership, potentially sparking legal debates.
Montevideo Man Digs Up $470
Monday afternoon as Ernest Lindholm was putting down posts under the sidewalk in front of Harry Levoy’s place of business he had occasion to remove some planks in the bottom of the coal bin.
After doing so his first spade full of dirt brought forth something better than black diamonds. It was a rich find of gold coins — twenty dollar gold pieces and tens and fives and all lying under the planking.
He scooped them up, notified the city marshal, deposited them in the First National Bank, and went back to work.
Cashier Andrew Parks examined them carefully and said the latest date on the coins was 1887 and that there was $470 in the pile — enough to buy all the coal one would need next winter at the present prices.
The big question is who owns the gold? The lawyers and judges may not be clear about that. Another big question is, how did it get there? and when, and under what circumstances?
The building was occupied as a saloon for many years and whoever planted it certainly found a safe place, for it may have remained there undisturbed 20 or 30 years.
Source: Morris tribune. (Morris, Minn.), 31 Aug. 1917.
