By Paula Graham
Catholic Herald correspondent

Mystery money aids Ladysmith tornado victims

LADYSMITH --The first day of her London vacation in June 2001, Marci Miller of Chippewa Falls left her hotel room in a rush. Heading toward the lobby to catch a city tour bus, she spied a small bundle just steps from her door. "It was the size of a box your checks come in. It was wrapped in paper and duct tape," said Miller.

Without missing a step, Marci plucked the parcel from the hallway floor, then stuffed it into her jacket pocket. During the morning bus tour and afternoon of shopping, she never gave it a thought. For the next fifteen months, however, Marci and her husband, Dr. Vincent Miller, a Marshfield Clinic neurologist, would devote many hours to thinking about the mysterious package. In the end, unfolding events and fortuitous timing would benefit tornado-torn Rusk County.

Later that June afternoon, exhausted from jet lag, Marci returned to the Crowne Plaza London-St. James Hotel to nap. Vince had spent the day attending medical meetings at the Neurologist World Congress. When he inquired about the package on the table, Marci looked at it quizzically and mumbled, "Something I found."

That something was cash. A lot of it--$17,900 in U.S. $100 bills, neatly stacked and wrapped in paper secured by duct tape. "We couldn't believe it," said Marci. The couple stashed the bundle in their room safe and headed out to Momo's, a critically-acclaimed Moroccan-style restaurant, where they felt lucky to have a reservation.

"We didn't enjoy our dinner," said Vince. "We kept looking over our shoulders the whole time, expecting someone would break our knees." Marci ordered creme brulee, her favorite dessert, but can't remember tasting one bite of it.

The main topic of the night's pillow talk was where to turn in the money -- London police or hotel security. "Everybody we've talked to since said they'd turn it in, too. We wouldn't have enjoyed the two weeks with money under the mattress," said Vince.

First thing the next morning the Millers presented their find to hotel officials. "They were shocked at the amount and that someone would turn it in," said Vince. In a written document, Crowne Plaza's director of security informed the Millers that the money would be held for a period of six months to be handed over to the rightful owner on receipt of proof of ownership. Should the money not be claimed, the letter continued, the "property will be returned to the finder, which in this case will be you."

The hotel promised to inform the Millers if and when the property had been claimed. Never expecting to see the money again, the couple enjoyed the remainder of their vacation and kept the matter "quiet between themselves."

On the six -month anniversary of her find, having heard nothing more about the matter, Marci contacted the Crowne Plaza, giving them instructions about how and where to forward the $17,900. "They balked," said Vince. "It was tied up in legal business since then." The hotel's reply resulted in months of run-around involving hotel management and insurance lawyers.

At that point, without Marci's tenacity and creative thinking, the matter might have remained forever unresolved. Frustrated by corporate stonewalling, Marci contacted Congressman David Obey, who in mid-March 2002 wrote to the hotel's insurance company. A response came 10 days later. All the claims officer could tell him was that the matter was still being "looked into."

During May and June the Millers received further variations on the same theme, from both the hotel and the hotel's insurers.

Next, Marci decided to go to the press. She contacted several national newspapers and on August 14, the Miller's hometown paper, The Chippewa Herald, ran a story by Tom Sheehan. It was reprinted in the Wisconsin State Journal on August 16.

Finally, on Sept. 4, after further calls and letters by Marci, the Millers received a letter from London. The investigation had been concluded, and the hotel had reached a settlement. Having been convinced by their insurers that the Millers had no legal claim on the money, Crowne Plaza decided to divide the money three ways. For their sense of duty and honesty in reporting the find, the Millers would receive one-third. The hotel would keep a third and one-third would be donated to the widows of the Fire Department of New York.

Although they had a different interpretation of British law, the Millers faxed their acceptance of the proposal, but with one modification. They asked the hotel to donate the $5,966.66 earmarked for New York to Ladysmith for tornado relief. The hotel was happy to oblige.

The Servite Center for Life agreed to act as a conduit for distribution of the funds to victims. Nancy Wheeler, director of the center is meeting with the newly-formed Flambeau Interfaith Community Services (FICS) committee and she said the Miller's donation will go to the long-term relief efforts.

Vincent, who had been hearing tornado stories from his Rusk County patients at the Marshfield Clinics in Chippewa Falls and Ladysmith, says the story has a happy ending. "The final touch is that the hotel willing to give the money to Ladysmith. Having it come close to home is amazing."

Amazing, yes. We know where the mystery money ended up, but where did it come from?

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002