The following article appeared in the “Democrat & Chronicle” (Rochester, NY, USA) September 18 1899 (page 8, col 6). It may be of interest to someone.
{James Faragher (bpt Jan 1830 Onchan) & John Faragher(bpt Nov 1831, Onchan) were sons of Richard Harrison and possibly Isabella Harrison of Arbory. James F married Margaret Moore and they emigrated to Rochester, New York State, USA, and had 10 children. John F apparently never married}
BURIED GOLD BELONGS TO ROCHESTER MAN.
______________
James Faragher, of 21 Cady Street, His Brother”s Heir.
_________________
A TALE OF CHICAGO
________________-
John Faragher, Long Ago a Resident Here, Made Money in Chicago and Hid it in a Barn - Came East & Died
A strange tale of hidden wealth, the owner of which has been dead for years, the remarkable discovery of a soap box of money, and the finding of the right heirs to the money, and some real estate are the incidents of a story that has its beginning in Chicago, while the scenes in later chapters are laid in Rochester. The following despatch, dated September 16th (1899) in a Chicago paper, was yesterday brought to the notice of James Faragher of No 21 Cady Street, this city:
A soap box filled with gold and silver coins to the amount estimated at $2,500 was unearthed last night by some boys at play in a barn.
The money is supposed to have been left by John Faragher. The news of the find caused the whole neighbourhood to turn out and by the time the police arrived the barn had been entirely torn down by the searchers.
The John Faragher mentioned in the dispatch was a brother of James Faragher, and the latter at once sent his son, Burt Faragher, a mail carrier here, to Chief Hayden and had him telegraph the chief of the Chicago police to take charge of the money. John Faragher died in this city (Rochester) about two years ago, at the home of his brother in Cady Street. He suffered from softening of the brain for some time previous to his death, and that, with other diseases, caused his demise at the age of about 65 years.
The deceased lived in this city for four years about thirty-three years ago, after coming here from his birthplace, the Isle of Man. He was then about twenty-six years old. Leaving this city he went to Chicago and opened a shoe store and prospered until the Chicago fire in 1871, when he lost most of his property in that catastrophe. Then he started a line of express wagons and made money, the while living a single life and saving his earnings. He put his savings in a bank and when the great bank panic occurred in 1873, he nearly lost all his money. It is the belief of his friends that he would not afterwards put his money in any bank but hid it about his home.
He continued in the express line up to a few years ago with fair success. During all these years he had very little communication with his relatives here. About three years ago Burt Faragher was on his way to Kansas City and stopping off in Chicago hunted up his uncle, who was greatly pleased to see him. He finally decided to accompany his nephew back to the East on his return. This he did and came to the home of his brother, whom he had not seen in about thirty years.
While here he was taken with his fatal illness. In the almost unintelligible sentences that he uttered during his sickness his brother’s family recognised “box of money”, “hid in the ground”, “gold”, “silver”, “banks no good”, and similar expressions. He said in rational moments that he had money, but he never told where it was and it seemed to those about him that he had forgotten where he had put it.
James Faragher is the nearest living relative in this country. The deceased has two sisters in the Isle of Man. It is known that James Faragher left two lots at Nos 189 and 191 North Wood Street, Chicago in the hands of an agent.
_____________________________________________________________________
Elizabeth, Australia