Unbelievably, a MIRACLE has occurred! An MTA Transit dispatcher called me today saying that they had recovered my backpack. I retrieved it and everything is intact including the concertina! So now it is NOT lost or stolen. In appreciation, I played them The Orange in Bloom as they dispatched away.
Should I attempt to remove my post about the stolen Jeffries? Or, if I fail, perhaps someone administering the site can do it for me. I don't know the proper protocol for this. Despite the feeling that these things are not supposed to happen seemingly so easily, it is really good to experience the good people of NYC function like a neighborhood. Thanks, you guys, for all your help. I'm a very lucky man.