Man Pays Ticket More Than 50 Years Later

Post by **BrianIsSmilingAtYou** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:42 pm

Man Pays Ticket More Than 50 Years Later

The Associated Press
Friday, June 16, 2006; 9:13 PM

PHILADELPHIA -- Better late than never. That's how John Gedge felt about paying a $15 speeding ticket he received from a guard in a city park nearly 52 years ago.

Fairmount Park officials received a letter and a five-pound note this week from Gedge, now 84 and living in a nursing home in East Sussex, England. Five pounds was worth about $14 in 1954, about $9 today.

"Englishmen pay their debts," Gedge told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm very sorry I left it all that time. But my conscience is clear."

Gedge was visiting Philadelphia on July 15, 1954, when a park guard nabbed him for driving 55 mph in a 35 mph zone.

He recently discovered the unpaid citation in the pocket of an old coat.

"I thought, blimey, I've got to pay, that's it," Gedge said by telephone. "I had the fiver to do it. And I'm very happy I did."

It's good to see someone do the right thing.

BrianIs

AtYou

Post by **superwizard** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:52 pm

I think what he did was very good for himself. He cleared his concious and he'll probably live a better life for it. It is pretty encouraging too.

Post by **axordil** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:31 am

One hopes they don't try to charge him interest...no, wait, that's the IRS.

Post by **Elflover** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:46 am

Cool story.

Here's a really extreme example of someone wanting to pay an old debt:

http://www.readersread.com/cgi-bin/book ... blog=53051

Not very many people would be willing or able to go to such an extreme, but it is admirable.

Post by **Dave_LF** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:41 pm

Here's another one of those stories:
http://www.wkowtv.com/index.php/news/story/p/pkid/24372