Honesty pays off for homeless Boston man
"James said a medical condition made it hard for him to work, but God had always looked after him", reports Pia Harold
Donations of more than $110,000 (£67,000) 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.
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This isn't only about rewarding a great guy. I think it's a statement to everyone in America”
Ethan Whittington Fund starter
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 and work together, 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.
http://www.gofundme.com/4by2as
BOSTON (CBS) — A homeless man turned in a backpack with $2,400 in cash, $39,500 in travelers checks and a passport that he found at South Bay Mall in Dorchester. Boston Police officers at South Bay Mall were flagged down by the man in front of the TJ Maxx Store. The man said he found a black backpack that contained a large sum of money and a passport in the front of the store. Officers took the backpack and its contents. The Good Samaritan could only provide officers with his name and the address of the shelter where he currently lives, Boston Police said. Officers notified store security at the South Bay Mall about the backpack. Later Saturday night, police were contacted by an employee of Best Buy who said a customer lost his backpack. The passport matched the customer’s identity and his backpack was returned to him.
