At the end of the first man's visit the money present is twice the original amount minus a thousand. Then another leaves and the money becomes twice that value minus a thousand. The third leaves and the money becomes twice the prior value minus a thousand. We know that this is exactly five thousand. We add a thousand and divide by two to get the value present after the second person leaves: 3,000. Again, add a thousand and divide by two to get the 2,000 present after the first person leaves. Repeat the process to find 1,500 present originally.