Homeless man rewarded with over $100K by kind strangers
AP February 26, 2013 10:41AM
Strangers from around the world have donated over $100,000 to Kansas City homeless man Billy Ray Harris who returned an enaggagement ring to Sarah Darling. Source: Supplied
A HOMELESS US man will soon have more than $US100,000 after returning an engagement ring to a woman who accidentally dropped it in his cup earlier this month.
Sarah Darling's fiance set up a website seeking donations for Billy Ray Harris, who frequently panhandles on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza. By yesterday, more than 6,000 people had donated more than $US145,000 ($A141,622) to the fund.
"I think in our world we often jump to like the worst conclusion, and it just makes you realise that there are good people out there," Darling said.
Homeless man Billy Ray Harris returned the diamond engagement ring Sarah Darling accidentally dropped into his coin cup with some spare change.
Harris discovered the ring about an hour after Darling dumped spare change from her coin purse into his cup.
She had taken off her ring earlier that day and put it with the coins.
This is the ring Sarah accidentally dropped into the coin cup.
"The ring was so big that I knew if it was real, it was expensive," Harris told KCTV.
Darling was horrified when she realised the next day what she had done. She went back to Harris, squatted beside him and told him that she might have given him something valuable.
Sarah said she was thrilled to get her ring back.
"'Was it a ring?"' he recalled asking her. "And she says, 'Yeah.' And I said 'Well, I have it.' "
Darling gave Harris all the cash she had in her wallet at the time.
"It seemed like a miracle," Darling said. "I thought for sure there was no way I would get it back."
In explaining why he didn't keep the ring, Harris said he had a religious upbringing.
"My grandfather was a reverend," Harris said.
"He raised me from the time I was six-months-old and thank the good Lord, it's a blessing, but I do still have some character."
