A man discovers a wallet with $700. A few days later, he comes across a note from a wealthy man who claims to have misplaced his wallet and is rewarding anyone who finds it with $50. After locating the owner, the man returns the wallet. “I see you’ve already taken your reward,” the wealthy man remarks after tallying the money.
“What do you mean?” asks the bewildered poor man.
“This wallet had $750 in it when I lost it,” the wealthy man responds.
They begin to quarrel and ultimately take the matter to court. The rich man concludes by adding, “Your Honor, I hope you believe me,” after both men had given their versions of events.
“Of course,” the elderly judge replies. The impoverished man is depressed as the wealthy man smiles. The judge then takes the wealthy man’s wallet and hands it over to the poor guy who found it.
“What are you doing?” says the wealthy man angrily.
“You are an honest man, and I believe you if you say your wallet contained $750,” the judge responds. However, the individual who discovered this wallet would not have given it back if he was dishonest. This wallet must belong to someone else. The money can be claimed by the true owner if they come forward. If not, it remains in the possession of the finder.
“What about my money?” the wealthy man says.
“We’ll have to wait until someone finds your wallet with $750 in it,” the judge says.