A GOOD Unsolved Mystery

[user296686@aol.c]

Does anyone remember the story about an elderly couple that helped out an old drifter? Its been so long since I've seen the story and I don't remember if the drifter did any work for them or not... seems like he came up and asked for work for food... anyway, the couple fed the man a good meal and gave him a few dollars (maybe like five bucks) and he was on his way. Seems like he told them he would repay them for their kindness. That CHRISTmas they received a card with 500.00 in it and that happened every CHRISTmas for five years. They never found out who sent the money to my knowledge. They just assumed it was the drifter they had been so kind to. Does anyone recall this story or more details than I do? This was one of the most awesome UM I've ever seen. So glad to have seen a good one too. Feel free to reply personally as well at user296686@aol.com.
Peace, Pam

[justins5256]

I remember that story. It pretty much went down as you said. I always wondered if the couple kept receiving checks. I wonder if they are even still alive. Despite this story being shown on Lifetime numerous times, I never remember there being an update of any kind.

[crystaldawn]

I'm curious if they are still alive. Their names were Russell and Jean Johnson I believe.

[Todd Mueller]

Usually I didn't care for "Lost Loves" stories on UM (or anything like it) but this was one exception.

This story really touched me. I think because Russell and Jean seemed like such nice, genuine people and it is nice to think that when people go out of their way for someone less fortunate as they did, that karma has something for them.

I, too, would love to know how they are doing (if they are alive) and if they ever figured out who their benefactor was.

[SP4CE INV4DERZ]

I haven't seen this one in awhile but I do remember thinking if this story is real?

[James T]

We had a discussion on this one when CD put the segment on one of her excelllent compilations a while back, I think this took place back in the mid 1980's and they looked about 70+ then so unlikely they are still alive, also the guy looked about the same age as well.

We did have our doubts over things like the bank just cashing it without even hardly looking at it, how the bank could not trace it etc, how or why a dead man which is what the segment hinted he was due to his vanishing act would write a cheque out and mail it etc. Here is the original thread

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=204329

[Todd Mueller]

If it was a cashier's check, they may not have been able to trace it back to the owner, especially back in the 80's. Also, as no crime was involved, I'm sure the "tracing" would be pretty limited.

I never thought this wasn't real. Whether or not the homeless guy and the checks are connected, that is up for debate. I figure maybe the homeless guy had rich relatives or was rich himself but down on his luck. Or maybe he told the story to some rich person or organization who wanted to honor them but do so anonymously. I don't think for a second there was anything supernatural about it. I know they said the homeless guy was gone when they went from one side of the house to the other, but at their age, going from one side of the house to another might have been an all-day event.

Hard to say. As cheesy as it sounds, though, I hope the homeless guy and the checks are related. Nice to think there are people in the world who will help those in great need out of the goodness of their hearts.

[browneyes106]

I remember this story and I was always touched by it.

[marlins3]

Originally Posted by James T

We had a discussion on this one when CD put the segment on one of her excelllent compilations a while back, I think this took place back in the mid 1980's and they looked about 70+ then so unlikely they are still alive, also the guy looked about the same age as well.

We did have our doubts over things like the bank just cashing it without even hardly looking at it, how the bank could not trace it etc, how or why a dead man which is what the segment hinted he was due to his vanishing act would write a cheque out and mail it etc. Here is the original thread

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...d.php?t=204329

Cashing the check without hardly looking at it? It was a reenactment, not the actual event. Unsolved Mysteries was only a one-hour show. I am sure this is how the actual events went down an dif UM had showed it in whole, there would have only been one segment that night.

Russell and Jean Johnson walk into the bank. being the man he is, Russell stops to wipe the bottoms of his blue deck shoes on the rug just inside the bank's double doors. Jean is clutching her purse and says hello to anothe elderly man exiting the bank. The bank's tellers are wearing Santa Clause hats in preparation for Christmas. Russell and Jean mosey on up to to teller number 3 and patiently wait behind a senior citizen clutching her social security check and a 17-year old boy holding his first pay check from McDonalds. For 2 weeks of work over Christmas break the check is for $115.23. He thinks he's loaded.

Russell looks around the bank at some of the flyers advertising new low-rate loans. The senior citizen lady leaves and the boy excitedly cashes his check.

Russell and Jean approach teller #3 and hands her the check asking if it's good ("We think this may be some kind of practical joke. If we didn't know you, I don;t even think we'd try to cash it.").

The teller calls for the manager, Ernie. He takes the check and looks at it, front and back. Scrunching his eyes, he holds it uup to the light to find the watermark. The front says it is drawn on a bank from the Houston Area and the Remitter line says "Santa Claus" or "Friend" (Remitter line does not have to have the person's name). The bank manager rubs his forehead and asks the Johnson's to please wait a moment while he makes a phone call. The manager walks into his office and calls the Houston bank. Five minutes later, he comes back out smiling and tells the Johnson's "It's as good as gold, Russ. How would you like it?". "Put it in the checking account, Ernie!" exclaims Russell. Jean's eyes tear up as the teller runs the check for deposit. As she goes to grap a deposit receipt, she realizes her drawer is out of register tape for printing deposit receipts. She changes the register tape but not without problems, fixing 2 jams in the process. All the while, the Johnson's are glowing. The teller prints a receipt and hands it to the Johnson's. "Merry Christmas". Jean is clutching her purse in one hand and Russell's arm in the other. Russell pauses to pull the door open for his wife. They smile at eachother as they exit the bank.

[Necco]

Wow. That was brilliant. I felt like I was there in the bank with them! Was your writing style influenced by the turtle chapter in The Grapes of Wrath or the beans chapter in Walden?



Seriously, though, I'm glad this mystery was never solved. Anonymous and/or random acts of kindness are a beautiful thing.
-Necco

[nohwheregirl]

Awww...I like it even better the way you tell it, Marlins3!

[marlins3]

Originally Posted by Necco

Wow. That was brilliant. I felt like I was there in the bank with them! Was your writing style influenced by the turtle chapter in The Grapes of Wrath or the beans chapter in Walden?



Seriously, though, I'm glad this mystery was never solved. Anonymous and/or random acts of kindness are a beautiful thing.
-Necco

Actually, I was trying to play the devil's advocate regarding that post quoted where someone said the teller barely looked at the check. It was a re-enactment. I love this board but it drives me nuts when people say " I think so and so is guilty because there was no worry in their voice." and the part they are citing is in a re-enactment taking place 11 years later (for example on the Tim McClue case, somebody said he didn't sound worried when calling the police to report a missing person. The call to the police was in the re-enactment 9 years after the actual event). That's like saying the real Amelia Earhart didn't care that she crashed because she did not sound too disturbed when her plane was going down (based off the UM reenactment).


I was an English Writing major in college (Univ. of Pittsburgh class of 2002). Ihad to read that horrible novel "Grapes of Wrath" for one of my classes (my wife says I'm like Raymond Barone on ELR because I read mostly sports books, non-fiction books, and magazines. BTW, The Ultimate Evil by Maury Terry is excellent but very scary). The writing style is pretty much my own, though.

I'm glad, too, that this case was never solved.

[marlins3]

Originally Posted by nohwheregirl

Awww...I like it even better the way you tell it, Marlins3!

thanks

[Necco]

Yeah, it's silly when people judge situations based on the re-enactments, especially in the ones that are obviously condensed for effect. I suspected you were a writer.

I think I read somewhere that Ernie the bank manager was eventually arrested for stealing ladies shoes from neighborhood houses. Maybe, if we're lucky, he'll escape and be featured on a future episode.

I'm worse than Ray Barone. My bookshelf is almost entirely travel books. I read a Lonely Planet like most people read a trashy romance novel.

[Mastermind]

If the story is true..

I think it's possible that the drifter was indeed either a wealthy individual who's name was famouse but he didn't want to risk the couple hitting him up for more money by finding out his identity.

I also think it's possible that the money is illegal.

This story reminds me of the beginning of the sherlock holmes novel "The Sign of Four"