Robert Burns Remarkable Cottage Coincidence

Some 16 years ago a visitor to Burn’s Cottage at Alloway detached one of the brass handles of the drawers of the poet’s writing desk in the museum.

Another visitor, who saw what had happened, told the caretaker, and eventually the offender was traced to Carlisle and the brass handle recovered.

The other day a visitor to the Cottage recalled the incident and stated that he was the culprit. The regrettable affair, he said, had been on his conscience ever since. He lived abroad, and on his first visit to Scotland since the incident he came to tender apologies and at the same time handed over the sum of £10 towards the funds of the Cottage.

The same day a chauffeur who was driving a party of tourists from England said to the caretaker at the cottage, “You were not here 16 years ago!”

The caretaker said he was not. The chauffeur then asked if he had heard about the handle of a desk having been appropriated and recovered. The caretaker said he had.

“Well,” said the chauffeur, “I was the man who drove the offending party.”

It is a remarkable coincidence that these two men would turn up at the Cottage after 16 years on the same day.

Source: The Glasgow Herald – July 18, 1930.