Owendale gets $50 in the mail after thief admits his guilt

OWENDALE — Owendale Treasurer Manuel Thies is just in his second year serving the village and he’s already seen something he’ll probably never see again.

While going through the village’s mail recently, Thies opened up an envelope with a peculiar note and a $50 bill tucked inside.

“To Whom it May Concern,” the note said. “In the sixties I was in Owendale drinking. I took some blue Christmas light bulbs from your decorations. Later I felt guilty about this. Over the years it bothers me more and more. Please forgive me. Enclosed this may help with your needs. Thank you. Sorry!”

Thies, a former teacher, principal and superintendent for many years at Owendale-Gagetown schools, said around the time the incident reportedly took place, he was just getting into the area to start his career. Neither he, nor any on the village council, could remember many details about such an incident. They surmised the stolen lights were off the village’s large Christmas tree in the center of town, because that was about all the decorating the village did back then. These days, it puts up a number of decorations along the street in front of the hall as well as across the street.

“I don’t imagine it’s ever happened before, and I would doubt that very few villages have this ever happen,” Thies said. “Most people, their conscience doesn’t bother them that much. The string of lights was maybe a couple of dollars and he threw a $50 bill in to cover his conscience.”

Added Thies: “He took some lights off there and it just kept gnawing at him until he did what he had to do to calm his conscience. His conscience got the best of him.”

Thies said the $50 will go into the village’s general fund, but he has more specific plans for the letter: It will be framed and hung up on his office wall — a reminder that it’s never too late to make amends.

“This individual decided that he needed to do this to clear his conscience,” Thies said. “He sat on that blister a long time.”