your property should see a thief stealing it and not prevent him, he would be as guilty as the thief.  Your neighbor indeed might warn you that the thief was stealing your goods, but he would not be bound in justice to do so, as the officer is, but only in charity, because it is not his duty to guard your property.  Parents who know that their children steal and do not prevent them or compel them to bring back what they stole, but rather encourage them by being indifferent, are guilty of dishonesty as well as the children, and share in their sins of theft.  But suppose you did not know the thing was stolen when you received it, but learned afterward that it was, must you then return it to the proper owner?  Yes; just as soon as you know to whom it belongs you begin to sin by keeping it.  But suppose you bought it not knowing that it was stolen, would you still have to restore it?  Yes, when the owner asks for it, because it belongs to him till he sells it or gives it away.  If you have bought from a thief you have been cheated and must suffer the loss.  Your mistake will make you more careful on the next occasion.  Suppose you find a thing, what must you do?  Try to find its owner, and if you find him give him what is his, and that without any reward for restoring it, unless he pleases to give you something, or unless you have been put to an expense by keeping it.  If you cannot find the owner after sincerely seeking for him, then you may keep the thing found.  But suppose you kept the article so long before looking for the owner that it became impossible for you to restore it to him, either because he had died or removed to parts unknown during your delay—­what then?  Then you must give the article or its value to his children or others who have a right to his goods; and if no one who has such a right can be found, you must give it to the poor, for you have it unjustly—­since you did not look for the owner when it was possible to find him—­and therefore cannot keep it.

376 Q. Are we bound to restore ill-gotten goods?  A. We are bound to restore ill-gotten goods, or the value of them, as far as we are able; otherwise we cannot be forgiven.

“Ill-gotten”—­that is, unjustly gotten.  “Value.”  It sometimes happens that persons lose or destroy the article stolen, and therefore cannot return it.  What must be done in such cases?  They must give the owner the value of it.  However, when you have stolen anything and have to restore it, you need not go to the owner and say, “Here is what I stole from you.”  It is only necessary that he gets what is his own or its value.  He need not even know that it is being restored to him, unless he knows you stole it; and then it would be better for your own good name to let him know that you are making amends for the injustice done.  Therefore, no one need have any excuse for not restoring what he has unjustly, because he has only to see that it is returned in some way to its owner, or to those who have the next right to