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Rich Man Throws $100k in Dumpster to Find Honest Person, Sees Homeless Lady Pick Up the Money — Story of the Day

Sonali Pandey
Nov 21, 2021
10:40 P.M.

Edward Lewis decided to conduct a test to recruit a good employee for his new organization and tossed a bag containing $100,000 into the dumpster. The person who discovered the bag was an elderly, homeless woman. Would she return the money to its rightful owner or keep it to herself? Edward wondered as he silently saw the woman pick the bag and walk away.

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Emma was a 65-year-old homeless woman who worked at an animal shelter to support herself. Her husband had died in a fire that engulfed their homes years ago, and she didn't have children or relatives who she could call a family.

For a time, the woman supported herself by doing part-time jobs, but as she grew older, the work began to take its toll on her body, and she had to stop working for a while. As time passed, her savings ran out, and her failure to pay the house mortgage rendered her homeless.

Emma discovered $100K in a dumpster | Photo: Shutterstock

Emma discovered $100K in a dumpster | Photo: Shutterstock

Thankfully, Emma's neighbor was kind enough to connect with a friend and assist her in finding work at an animal shelter. Emma didn't have a lot of responsibilities there, and she made enough money to eat at least once a day. In terms of a place to rest, she alternated between sleeping at the shelter and beneath a bridge or in an alley where no one would bother her.

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One day, Emma walked to the nearby dumpster to dispose of her trash. She realized the bins were already full, with some bags left outside the trash cans. She began gathering up the bags and stuffing them into the trash can when a large bag from the bin fell on the ground.

Emma scooped it up and attempted to stuff it into the bin, but it abruptly tore away from the edge, spilling a dollar on the ground. She was perplexed when she opened the bag and noticed multiple bundles of cash.

Emma's eyes glowed for a brief while at the sight of so much cash. She could live a pleasant life if she just took it with her, but her conscience told her that it wasn't right, so she was determined to track down its original owner and return it.

Emma walked away with the bag, determined to find its owner | Photo: Shutterstock

Emma walked away with the bag, determined to find its owner | Photo: Shutterstock

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Emma took the bag and went straight to Mrs. Cassandra Bernard, the director of a homeless charitable organization, to inform her about her discovery. As she walked inside Mrs. Bernard's office, she noticed her talking on the phone.

"Can we speak, Mrs. Bernard?" Emma said, interrupting her. "I have to tell you something urgent."

Mrs. Bernard smiled and motioned for her to take a seat in the chair. "Please give me 5 minutes. It's an important call," she said, covering the phone before returning to it.

Emma gazed around her office. It was brimming with trophies and photographs of people congratulating Mrs. Bernard on her humanitarian efforts. This woman is a philanthropist to the core! Emma, you've come to the right place. She will undoubtedly assist you in locating the owner, Emma thought.

"So, how may I help you, ma'am?" Mrs. Bernard gently asked as she hung up the phone.

Mrs. Bernard was busy on a phone call | Photo: Pexels

Mrs. Bernard was busy on a phone call | Photo: Pexels

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"Actually, I found a bag in the dumpster today," Emma explained. "It's filled with money, and I'm guessing someone threw it by mistake."

"What? Money in a dumpster?! How much did you find?" Mrs. Bernard's tone changed to one of joy when she heard the word "money."

"Well, I didn't count it, ma'am," Emma answered quietly. "But it looks like a huge amount, so I was wondering if you could help me..."

"We will certainly help you," Mrs. Bernard interrupted Emma. "How could someone just leave that much money? It's great that you came here. Let me take a look at how much we have in here."

Mrs. Bernard nearly snatched the bag from Emma's grip and started counting the money. She was gleaming with delight at the sight of all that cash, to say the least.

Well, I shouldn't have come here! You are just another greedy person. I will make sure I find the owner on my own, Emma thought to herself.

Mr. Bernard's eyes lit up at the sight of all the cash | Photo: Pexels

Mr. Bernard's eyes lit up at the sight of all the cash | Photo: Pexels

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"OMG!" Mrs. Bernard exclaimed as she counted the last bundle. "Wow, this could be quite beneficial to us; we could really assist the homeless with this. It was a great decision on your part to come here," she added, looking at Emma. But Emma was no fool.

"There's no need for that, ma'am," she said, gathering all of the money and returning them to the bag. "I'm not here to give it out for charity; I'm here to find the owner."

"Oh, that's all right!" Mrs. Bernard remarked, faking a grin. "Just leave the money here, and we'll notify you as soon as the owner is located."

"That's really nice of you. However, I think I will keep the money. Please contact me if you locate the owner," Emma said. "I'll leave an address for you where you can find me," she added and walked away.

The next day, Mrs. Bernard visited Emma and gladly announced that she'd found the money's owner. She introduced him as Ben Holland. He claimed he mistook the money bag for a rubbish bag and tossed it by accident. But Emma wanted to put the man to the test because she'd witnessed Mrs. Bernard's hunger for all that money.

Emma asked Ben about the dumpster to test his authenticity | Photo: Shutterstock

Emma asked Ben about the dumpster to test his authenticity | Photo: Shutterstock

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"Thanks for coming, sir," Emma said. "However, could you perhaps confirm where you tossed the money? I mean, which dumpster are you referring to? As you know, there are several dumpsters in this area."

There was a strange expression on the man's face, and then he spoke up. "Well, don't you trust me? Why would you ask something like that?" he said with a fake grin.

"Well, if you can't tell me where you threw the money, I'm afraid I won't be able to return it to you!" Emma said as she picked up her bag and prepared to leave. She knew that if she kept the money for too long, she'd get into trouble because people were already after it. She made the decision to go to the police station in her neighborhood and inform them.

However, when she was about to leave for the station, Mrs. Bernard stopped her. "We are not letting you get away so easily. I'm going to make sure I get that money today!"

Mrs. Bernard called the cops and informed them that Emma had stolen her money and requested that they come to the location immediately. When the cops arrived and discovered the bag of money with the homeless woman, they assumed Emma was lying and arrested her.

"You'll have to come with us, ma'am," a cop said, approaching Emma with handcuffs. "We have a complaint against you that you've stolen money from Mrs. Bernard."

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The cops tried to arrest Emma | Photo: Pexels

The cops tried to arrest Emma | Photo: Pexels

"But that's not true!" Emma said. "Trust me! I went to her to ask for help to find the rightful owner because I found all the money in a dumpster!"

"No, officer," Mrs. Bernard said. "She's lying! It's my money, and I'm not going to give it away. I hired her to work as a maid in my office because I felt sorry for her, but look at what she did!"

"No, please trust me!" Emma cried. But her pleadings went unheeded.

Soon Emma was handcuffed and led to the police car. But just then, a man dressed in a suit abruptly halted them. "There's no need for that, officer! This woman is innocent! I can prove that!"

The man, Mr. Richardson, showed the cops a video of Emma finding the bag in the dumpster and then taking it to the charity organization. "She isn't lying. I'm the owner of the money. In fact, I have the serial number of the notes, and you can match them."

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As soon as Emma's innocence was proven, Mrs. Bernard attempted to flee the scene. However, she was apprehended by cops, and she and Ben Holland, who turned out to be her boyfriend, were eventually detained.

Mr. Richardson revealed the entire story, claiming he threw money in the dumpster to see if there were still honest individuals in the world. He apologized to Emma for the inconvenience and later offered her a job. He had founded a charitable organization for the homeless, and Emma was hired as its executive director.

Rumors have it that Emma and Mr. Richard are dating, and they might tie the knot soon.

It is rumored that Emma and Mr. Richards are dating | Photo: Pexels

It is rumored that Emma and Mr. Richards are dating | Photo: Pexels

What can we learn from this story?

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  • Karma is unavoidable. Mrs. Bernard attempted to accuse Emma of stealing and fleeing with the money, but karma caught up with her.
  • You will be rewarded for doing good sooner or later. Mr. Richards offered Emma a job at his new charity organization after being impressed by her honesty.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a young lady who everyone avoided because of her unusual face until one man set foot inside her house.

This account is inspired by our reader's story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.

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