Honesty pays off for homeless Boston man and for a Virtuous Guy in Coruna, Spain

 

James said a medical condition made it hard for him to work, but God had always looked after him

Donations of more than $110,000 have poured in from across the US for a Boston homeless man who returned a lost bag with $42,000 in it. Glen James alerted police after he found the backpack containing cash and traveller's cheques last weekend, and the bag's owner was then tracked down.

A complete stranger later started an online fund for Mr James after reading media reports about his honesty. The man, Ethan Whittington, now plans to meet Mr James to give him the money. Mr Whittington, who lives in Midlothian, Virginia, said he was so overwhelmed by Mr James' honesty that he decided to start the fund.

"The fact that he's in the situation he is, being homeless, it blew my mind that he would do this,'' Mr Whittington was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. He said his idea of starting donations on a crowdfunding website for Mr James "caught on like wildfire ever since".
"It's brought me a lot of hope. This isn't only about rewarding a great guy. I think it's a statement to everyone in America."
"If we come together and work toward one thing, then we can make it happen."

Meanwhile, Mr James, a former Boston courthouse employee, said that he would not have kept "even a penny" of the money he had found in the backpack - even if he were desperate.

Lost, Winning Spanish lotto ticket, Found and handed in

 

The search for the ticket's real winner could take up to two years

A man who found a multi million-euro winning lottery ticket in La Coruna, Spain said he would not have been able to sleep if he had claimed the prize. Manuel Reija Gonzalez's discovery of the 4.7m-euro ( $6.3m) ticket has prompted a search for the real winner.

"I never for a moment thought about keeping it because I wanted to be able to sleep well at night with a clear conscience."

If the ticket's owner cannot be found, the money will go to Mr Reija Gonzalez. Authorities are not revealing exactly when or where in the north-western Spanish city the ticket for the 30 June 2012 draw was bought, so they can test the claims of people coming forward.

Reija Gonzalez, whose brother, father and grandfather worked for the Spanish lottery, according to local media, said he empathized with the person who lost it.
"Because here was somebody who had a problem forgetting his ticket and I put myself in his shoes, and it's the sort of thing I could have done. I thought the best thing to do was just to return the ticket."

He said he would be happy if the real winner was identified during the search, which could last up to two years.
"We're still in a phase where it's all just been made public in La Coruna so really, what will be, will be and I can't really tell you how I feel," he added.
"Here we have a phrase: it's God's will."

The ticket has now been advertised on the lost-and-found section of the city website - usually dominated by notices about mobile phones, keys and wallets. Mr Gonzalez may end up a very rich man, which proves (not...'honesty is the best policy' ...although that is no doubt true) but that some people are just damn lucky.