William H. Seward Gifts

[L Verge]

I won't be on the trip, Herb, because of these darn legs; but if it does go, I will give Joan Chaconas (our tour coordinator at the museum) your phone number - once you send it to me. Maybe you can arrange to meet the group for dinner. I think they are eating at the Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles that night. Is that near you? It'll be my treat such you have been such a sweetheart and supporter of me, this forum, and the Lincoln world in general.

P.S. If y'all would clear that problem that you have in the Finger Lakes Region of too much snow per capita, I wouldn't mind living up there amongst you Yankees. Beautiful area. I especially loved the town of Skaneateles -- found a wonderful jewelry store there and bought a super pair of pearl earrings (and I usually don't care for pearls). Two years ago, my house was broken into twice in one week. The earrings left with the thief, along with approximately $25,000 worth of other jewelry and electronics.

The police were able to catch two of the gang. I had just received a new shipment of checks and happened to notice that the stack didn't look as high as it should have. This was about 8 pm. I checked the last check in my checkbook against the first check in the remaining stack and was able to pinpoint which checks had been stolen. God bless 24-hour bank service. I called, and they locked my account and flagged the check numbers.

The next morning, a young gentleman showed up at a bank about 45 minutes away and tried to cash a $1500 check that he claimed a "renter" had given him. The bank caught him on camera, refused to take the check, but had his name and address. He got arrested, and he rolled on the "renter" -- a 19-year-old lady with a 3-year-old child. When she learned that she could have her child taken away from her, she rolled on her boyfriend as being the gangster in charge.

And no, I never got most of the jewelry and things back -- just several rings and a small pendant that the police and my daughter found by visiting local pawn shops.

Well now, how we got from the Seward Home in New York to my stolen goods, I have no idea. We old ladies just love to reminisce and ramble.