Here are stories I`d like to read in the paper:
A painting bought in 1971 at a garage sale for $12 by a Connecticut man, Andrew Rooney, was sold at auction yesterday at the Sotheby Parke Bernet Gallery for $647,000.
Rooney, who bought the dirt-covered painting because he admired the wood in the frame, put the painting in his basement. Several weeks ago, while cleaning out a storage area between the washing machine and his work bench, Rooney brushed some of the dust off the old picture and realized it was a genuine oil painting. Inspecting the grime-covered surface of the picture more carefully, he noticed a signature in the bottom right-hand corner.
The painting proved to be a rare early work by Auguste Flambeau, the great 17th Century Dutch master.
Asked what he`s going to do with the money, Rooney replied, ”I`m not sure. Maybe I`ll spend it staying two nights in a New York City hotel.”
A homeowner`s attempt to reposition a piece of flagstone in the walk leading from his home to the street led to an important discovery yesterday. Andrew Rooney, a writer, lifted the heavy stone with a pry bar and was about to shovel sand under the stone in an attempt to level it when he noticed the corner of a metal box sticking out of the ground under the walk.
Rooney dug carefully around the box and, after unearthing it, discovered that it contained more than $1 million in $5, $10 and $20 bills. He said there were also a lot of $1 bills he didn`t bother to count.
Although the money appeared to be more than 50 years old, it was in perfect condition. After counting it, Rooney took his find to the local police station and turned it over to the sergeant on duty. The police said that if the money was not claimed in an hour and 15 minutes, it would be turned over to Rooney.
Asked what he would do with the money, Rooney said he was thinking of turning it over to a home for tired writers.
A Circuit Court judge has ruled that more than $2 million that has been accumulating interest in a dormant savings account for more than 60 years belongs to Andrew Rooney, of this city.
The money, which was deposited there by Joshua Reynolds, a second cousin of Rooney`s great-grandfather, has increased greatly in value over the years because of the accrued interest.
A bank official said that just as soon as one of the tellers was free, the money would be counted. It is estimated that, with interest, the amount will exceed $10 million.
While Rooney never knew his benefactor, the court decided he was Reynolds` closest living relative. Asked yesterday how he felt, Rooney said he felt good. He went on to say that, even though he never knew Joshua Reynolds, he felt that if he had known him he would have liked him very much.
Because of a little-known provision in the tax law, Rooney will receive the money tax-free.
