The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-09-25
An American Tichborne.

Claimant to @4O,OOO,OOO.
There is now pending in the State
courts of Pennsylvania, says q Mauch
Chunk correspondent of the New York
Sun, one of the most important lawsuits
on record. 1t was instituted by Mr.. o.
FL. Wheeler, lawyer of this place. II
is for the recovery of 1000 acres of val
liable coal lands inLuzerne county, Pa.
said to be worth $40, 0,000,000 The his
tory of the proprietorship of the land
is full of romance. I.t.. VIA.
Some forty years ago there died in O
hospital in Philadelphia n man named
James Turnbull. He had been q man
of means, and was one of the first to
invest in land in this region when the
discovery of anthracite coal was tardily
followed by mine developments. He
purchased the tract of 1900 acres in
Luzerne county. Bad speculations led
| him to dissipation and he died as stated,
declaring that he still had title to the
coal land in Luzerne, although Others
claimed it by virtue of tax purchase.
A short time before his death his wife
was divorced from him, and given
charge of their only child, son, also
named James. He lived with his
mother in Philadelphia about ten years
after his fathers death, then, at the age
of sixteen, went to sea.
In 1852 the divorced widow, being in
destitute circumstances, and believing
that her son, if living-for she had not
| heard of him for years-was the real
owner of the coal lands in Luzerne
| county which her late husband had ne
| elected, came to Mauch Chunk and
called on Mr.. o. H. Wheeler. He had
formerly been friend of her husbands,
the two having had years before real
estate transactions together. To him
she stated the case of the ownership OF
the land, and exhibited certain papers
in her possession that once belonged to
Turnbull.
Wheeler examined the paper, and
searched the record. The result con-
vinced him that young Turnbull had,
through his father, a perfect title to
| the property. He at once set about to
| find, if possible, the whereabouts of the
wandering heir. Advertisements were
inserted in the journals of all countries,
| in all languages. Letters were written
to every point where it was at all proba-
BILE that James might be, but without
| avail. MUM WOIu D6 ODldlutUl
that gave any clue to his whereabouts.
The lands meantime had fallen into the
hands of Asa Packer, the Pardees, and
other famous and powerful capitalists,
who still hold them.
One day, in the fall of 1871, James
| Turnbull's mother received a letter
posted in the City of Mexico. 1t proved
to be from her son. He was living in
Mazatlan, on the western coast of Mex
leo, and would in all probability be
home in another year. Thus, after a
ceaseless effort of twenty years, the
lawyer and the mother were at last re-
warded with the news of the lost son.
Mr.. Wheeler employed man to go
at once to Mazatlan and bring James to
| America. This was done, and about
year ago Turnbull landed in Phila-
delphia.
His career had been one of peril,
hardship, and adventure. The vessel
| he left Philadelphia in was shipwre cked,
| and he and eight others of the crew
were the only ones saved. When the
| boat which they succeeded in launching
wse piohou up iluar Tho Island of st.
| Thomas, after floating nine days Oh The
ocean, Turnbull was the only living oc-
cupant. He was laid up three months
| in st. Thomas before he recovered from
the effects of the fearful voyage after
| the wreck, and then embarked on q
| British trader. Subsequently he went
| to Central America. He worked on the
Isthmus of Panama until the stories OF
the discovery of gold in California
reached that section, when, with hun
dreds of others, he hastended to the
spot.
He was q Forty miner, and made sew
eral fortunes, which in turn he lost at
the gaming table. He tired of the reck.
| less, lawless life of the mines in two
years, and went to Mexico, and subse-
| quently to Texas, where he made money
in capturing cattle for spectators il,
New York and Philadelphia. The ma
tives becoming too hostile, he had to
flee the plains. He started to return tc
Mexico. On the way to Mazatlan he
was blown up by the explosion of the
steamer he was on. Hundreds per.
ished, but he was again providentially
saved.
He finally reached Mazatlan, where
he went to work on canal that was
being dug. He was placed over gang
of natives, and kept a ranch where they
obtained their supplies. This was broken
open several times and robbed. One
night he was attacked by a party Of
Mexican soldiers, and left for dead with
twelve dagger wounds in his person
Recovering from these, he again be-
came a wanderer. He spent yeal
among the silver mines of Peru, getting
possession of a piece of land said tC
contain silver deposits. Failing to fine
them, he disposed of the property for {
song. In less than month rich vein
of silver was opened upon it.
He then went to Chile and worked
under Harry Meiggs, the great Soutl
American railroad prince. By sub
contract under Meiggs he made severa
thousand dollars, and had he possessed
less rowing disposition could have re
mained in Chile and accumulated
handsome fortune. Completing his con
tract, he went to Brazil and endeavoret
to get himself appointed as an oversee
in the diamond mines and failed. Afte
rowing through South America for sew
eral years, leading life of the wildes
adventure, he again visited the western
shore of Mexico, and then determined
to return home. He wrote his mother
not knowing whether she was dead o
alive.
When the agent arrived from Ameri
ca, Turnbull had changed his mind a
to returning home, and would sool
have been on his way to the diamon'
field of South America.
20 cap the climax of his eventful life