Note 26 — Mason—Trapped and Tried
Reading edition
Samuel Mason probably had heard of “money growing on trees.” It was a common practice for travelers to hide their money over night in the bushes near the place they camped. It is likely that Mason sometimes “found” the money of highway travelers while they were asleep, or “found” it after he had surprised the campers and driven them off before they could procure their brush-hidden valuables.