The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-11
IN ENGLISH SWINDLE.
American Claima nts to English Estates.

Hon. J. P. Benjamin, formerly of Louisiana,
but now residing in London, and a member of
the English bar, has written letter TO tho
New OIlcans Times, with viewt exposing
scheme of swndlng now extensively prac-
ticcd in this country, by which persons are in-
duced to advance money for the prosecution
OF claims against English estates, represented
as unclaimed and awaiting tho appearance of
heirs residing in America. Mr.. Benjamin
states that every instance which has conc TO
his knowledge, "thc statements are falsAr and
evidently made for tho purpose of dcfrauding
parties out Of sums, large or small, under pre-
texts of paying the costs of records. copies,
&C.. said to be necessary for the prosecution
of the pretended claim" Tho letter concludes
as follows:
The usual mode of proceeding adopted is to
propose to undertake the busines treo OF ex-
pense. the proposer to receive only share of
what NAV be recovered. This seems so rea-
sonable that in most cases the dupe readily
swallows the bate. short time afterwards
he ls informed that all inquiries and researches
have resulted favorably, and that nothing ls
wanted to insure success except the cost OF
few copies OF records and other papers, ana
TINT the proposcr having already incurred
GREAT expense in conducting the necessary in
ouiries and researches, is left without resources
at the ye1y moment when few pounds would
suffice to secure the fruits of his labor and e3-
penditure. Many are tho victims from whom
sums VARYING from twenty to twenty-five hum
lred pounds, have been thus extracted, and
the nuu1ber of persons engaged in this system
must he very great, and the sums received by
them very considerable, if at all in proportion
to the number OF letters received here on the
subject Many thousands OF pounds are known
to have been expended by those who could Ill
afford to bear the loss i'll the pursuit OF the
r1eat jennings estate; and some OF those who
have spent money in this way have actually
been deudcd into writing to me their conyic-
ton that they We're entitled TO dislodoe the
present Duke of Marlborough from Blcnhcim
Castle. by virtue Of their descent from the
famous Duchess Sarah Jennings.
Most of the persons who are duped arc lgno-
rant on two points which, in nearly every IN
stance. stan would satisfy them at once of the utter
fo,ly of the hopes they indulge. The first is
that an alien cannot be an heir in England
when there is no will, and that he cannot take
real estate even if left to him by will. The Sec
ond is that, in England, estates devolVes upon
the Oldest son alone, and on his eldest soh IN
succession, and arc not divided IN shares
among all the children, as in Louisiana ana
other States. Yet nothing is more common
than tor persons to assert hership TO the sup
posed shares OF younger brothers and sisters,
or to claim, as natives Jf the United States,
heirship TO Eug!islImcn who had left no wills.
In the hope that this exposure will be OF
some use to my tcllow-citizens, in whose well
fare retain the deepest interest, and may pro-
tect them to some extent from the sharpers
who are plunderlng them, remain, very res
pec''ui's' '00- 0'~>'> J. =. BENJAMIN.