Envelope of cash discovered; Keesler housekeeper turns it in Published July 22, 2008 By Earlene Smith 81st Force Support Squadron KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- It was 10 a.m. on a Saturday, a Saturday that started out as just another day for Cynthia Franklin, a custodial worker in the 2000 block of the Inns of Keeler. She was pushing her cleaning cart down the hallway when she noticed a service sign on the door of Room 2216. She entered and did what little cleaning up was necessary. As she was leaving, she noticed an envelope the outgoing occupant had left on the desk. She picked it up, intending to put it in the trash container, and realized there was something in it. She opened the unsealed envelope, and that's when it happened. "My hands started shaking, and my heart began beating faster," Ms. Franklin recalled. "Inside the envelope was money. I counted out 14 $100 bills and a $50 dollar bill. Oh my Lord, I was nervous. "All I could think about was getting the money out of my hands and into the hands of my supervisor," she added. After recounting the money with her shift leader, Ms. Franklin checked her clipboard for the name of the room's overnight lodger. As fate would have it, the guest had moved from the 2000 block into Tyer House. A quick phone call verified the money did belong to the woman and she hadn't yet realized it was missing. When the customer reclaimed her cash, she explained that she was in the process of moving. The mover wouldn't accept an out-of-town check, so she had converted the check to cash. The guest insisted on meeting Ms. Franklin, hugged her, exclaimed over her honesty, and coaxed her into accepting a $100 reward. Some of Ms. Franklin's fellow workers have teased her for returning the money, saying nobody would have been able to prove she had taken it. "But I would have known," Ms. Franklin said. "I was brought up to be honest, and keeping the money would have gone against everything I've been taught. Besides, I know they were just teasing me. None of them would have kept the money, either." Ms. Franklin has been a custodial worker with the Inns of Keesler since 1995. She lost everything she owned when Hurricane Katrina left 7 feet of water in her home. She left the area for a short period of time, returned and moved into a FEMA trailer where she lived for two years until she could move back into her home. In addition to the cash reward, Ms. Franklin was presented with a plaque and was given a day off with pay.