A man finds a wallet with $700 inside. A few days later, he sees a notice from a rich man who lost his wallet and is offering a $50 reward to whoever returns it. The man finds the owner and hands back the wallet. The rich man counts the money and says, “I see you’ve already taken your reward.”
The poor man is confused and asks, “What do you mean?”
The rich man replies, “This wallet had $750 in it when I lost it.”
They start arguing and eventually go to court to settle the issue. Both men share their sides of the story, with the rich man finishing by saying, “Your Honor, I hope you believe me.”
The elderly judge says, “Of course.” The rich man smiles, and the poor man feels hopeless. Then, the judge takes the wallet from the rich man and gives it to the poor man who found it.
The rich man angrily asks, “What are you doing?”
The judge replies, “You are an honest man, and if you say your wallet had $750 in it, I believe you. But if the man who found this wallet was dishonest, he wouldn’t have returned it at all. So, this must be someone else’s wallet. If the real owner comes forward, they can claim the money. Otherwise, it stays with the person who found it.”
The rich man asks, “What about my money?”
The judge says, “We’ll have to wait until someone finds your wallet with $750 in it.”