Last Monday night the 6th May, after delivering a long and eloquent sermon, Rev. MARBRAY, who had been here for a few days for the purpose of collecting funds to build a church in Decatur, Ala., retired to his room at Dr. Black’s Hotel, and found that the Doctor had been obliged to give him a bedfellow for the night, one Thomas H. CUNNINGHAM, formerly of Memphis. The reverend minister, not suspecting what was in store for him, knelt, as we suppose, for the purpose of offering up his usual prayers for the world and the balance of mankind, and more especially for the stranger with whom his lost would be cast for the night, and then “lay down to rest.”
Early next morning Mr. CUNNINGHAM, who it seems had been taking a morning walk, came back to the room and informed the reverend gentleman that he (Cunningham) had been robbed the night before of $180, and intimated this opinion that Mr. M. had the money. Whereupon Mr. MARBRAY feeling under the pillow announced that he had been robbed of $55 in gold. Here was a poser to our friend. Dr. BLACK, who by this time began to look like he “smelt a mice,” but could not say where it could be found. Mr. CUNNINGHAM looked at Mr. MARBRAY with assumed contempt. Mr. MARBRAY looked at C. in unfeigned astonishment.
We are not informed as to whether prayers were said in that room that morning; but, anyhow, a short time after breakfast it was ascertained that Mr. CUNNINGHAM had been to Owen’s grocery early in the morning and deposited with him a handful of gold, but had shortly afterwards withdrawn it. Whereupon CUNNINGHAM was arrested, and after some little searching the gold was found hid behind Black & Crawford’s drug store. When brought up for trial CUNNINGHAM confessed to stealing the money and was immediately committed to jail. Heretofore it has been considered an unpardonable sin to attempt to steal from a printer, but when it comes to a minister, the crime is almost too monstrous for credence.
The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.), 11 May 1867, Page 3. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
