Waiter Returns Wallet Full Of Cash Back To Visitor Man Left Wallet In Restaurant Booth
UPDATED: 4:32 pm CST November 10, 2007
NEW ORLEANS -- Thomas McCauley said he was nervous about being in New Orleans for a convention.
When the eye doctor from Rhode Island discovered his wallet, stuffed with $8,000 he'd won at a local casino, was gone, he figured his pocket had been picked.
But about an hour later, when McCauley and a friend rushed back to the restaurant, waiter Al Castro returned it. Castro had been McCauley's waiter and found the wallet stuck in a booth.
McCauley called Castro "the saint of New Orleans."
McCauley had stashed the cash, won Thursday, in a spare wallet, with no ID, that he carries in case his pocket is picked. McCauley said Castro refused a reward, but the casino's general manager said Castro will be taken care of.
Crime has been a concern in tourist-dependent New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and tourism officials have sought to ease travelers' concerns by advising them to be aware of their surroundings, as they would in any major city.
When asked why return a wallet with no ID, Castro said he put himself in McCauley's shoes. Also, he said, his wife believes in karma.
....................................................
Another good reason for us to return to
New Orleans.
UPDATED: 4:32 pm CST November 10, 2007
NEW ORLEANS -- Thomas McCauley said he was nervous about being in New Orleans for a convention.
When the eye doctor from Rhode Island discovered his wallet, stuffed with $8,000 he'd won at a local casino, was gone, he figured his pocket had been picked.
But about an hour later, when McCauley and a friend rushed back to the restaurant, waiter Al Castro returned it. Castro had been McCauley's waiter and found the wallet stuck in a booth.
McCauley called Castro "the saint of New Orleans."
McCauley had stashed the cash, won Thursday, in a spare wallet, with no ID, that he carries in case his pocket is picked. McCauley said Castro refused a reward, but the casino's general manager said Castro will be taken care of.
Crime has been a concern in tourist-dependent New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and tourism officials have sought to ease travelers' concerns by advising them to be aware of their surroundings, as they would in any major city.
When asked why return a wallet with no ID, Castro said he put himself in McCauley's shoes. Also, he said, his wife believes in karma.
....................................................
Another good reason for us to return to
New Orleans.
