A chance discovery changed the life of a man who stumbled upon a wallet containing $700. Elated by his find, he couldn’t wait to see if anyone was looking for it. A few days later, his patience was rewarded when he came across a note that mentioned a rich man had lost his wallet and was offering a $50 reward to anyone who returned it.
Excited by the prospect of being rewarded, the man set out to find the wallet’s owner. When he finally met the wealthy man, he was surprised to hear him say, “I see you’ve already taken your reward.” The wealthy man explained that the wallet had originally contained $750, implying that the man had taken the difference.
The man vehemently denied the accusation, and the two decided to take their dispute to court. In front of the judge, the wealthy man presented his case, ending with a sly comment, “Your Honor, I trust you, you trust me.” The judge’s response was unexpected, and the wealthy man’s grin was short-lived.
The judge handed the wallet to the man who had found it, taking it from the wealthy man’s hands. The wealthy man was outraged, demanding to know what the judge was doing. The judge’s explanation was simple yet clever: “If you claim that your lost wallet had $750 in it, I’m sure it did. However, this wallet must belong to someone else, because if the man who found it was a liar and a thief, he wouldn’t have returned it. The money belongs to the person who found it, unless the real owner comes forward to claim it.”
The wealthy man was left stunned, asking about his money. The judge’s response was a masterclass in wit and justice: “We’ll simply have to wait until your wallet with the $750 is found.” The wealthy man was left to ponder the judge’s words, while the man who found the wallet walked away with a newfound appreciation for the law.
