New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-01

tFrom the Dayton Journal,
In 1864 there came to Dayton man VII
gave bis name as BENJAMIN Macke, and W.
engaged at intervals as a paper hanger. n
was about fifty years old, very poor an
very proud. He was evidently foreigne
but it wac difficult to determine to wha
; nationality he belonged, as he never con
} municated, even to bis most intimate a,
! quaintances, anything in regard to his hi!
| tory. He was soon oveftaken by ili-healtt
and so reduced financially that he was con
PEELED to seek an asylum III the county il
Urinary, where he died in 1867 unknown
and since that time unthought of. But RI
Gently it has TRANSFERRED that at the time Q
Macke's death he was entitled to the pos
| session of an estate Of S33, 900 900, whic
| makes his previous history matter OF som
consequence. The name by which he wa
known in Dayton, and at the county in
| Urinary, was an assumed one. His real nam
is said to have been Alfonso BarranO, and b.
was a native of one of the Basque province
of Spain, where every native consider
himself nobleman, and where the PROUD
spirit of the people has never yet been sub
dued by their conquerors. BarranO mar
ried in his native country, and soon aftel
the birth of his first child the young wife
and mother died, leaving the bereaved hus
| band and father but one object to love, anG
that was his daughter. 1t is to be supposed
that he loved her most tenderly, for although
he was comparatively poor man, in q
country where there were but few educa
tional facilities, yet he gave her fin ished
| education, sending her to foreign parts fol
| that purpose. She grew up to wOmanhOOd
when she, with her father, came to America
| landing at New Orleans, where they
stopped and opened fruit stand. The
beauty and cultivated manners OF the
daughter attracted a good share OF
custom, and among others whose attention
was directed to the pretty fruit-girl of
Carondelet street was rich planter of
Louisiana by the name of Giroud, who
spent his winters in the city. As the reader
by this time suspects, GirOud made the
humble fruit-dealer's daughter his wife.
These are the facts of the previous history
OF Macke, or BarrOn0 as we gather them
from gentleman of this city who has been
employ ed by member of the Spanish lega-
ton at Washington to investigate the Cir
cumstances of his residence and death in
this city and county. with view to estab-
fishing the fact that Benjamin Maeke, who
died in the infirmary of this county in 1867,
is the same BarranO who came from Biscay
to New Orleans, where his daughter mar
ried, as above related. But to return to the
story. The poor fruit dealer was destined
to realize the ingratitude sharper than q
serpent's tooth.
After his daughter married. at the in
stance of her proud and wealthy husband,
she virtually renowned her father, and
sought to settle an annuity upon him which
would be amply sufficient to keep HIM in
comfortable circumstances for the rest of
his life. But as one of the implied condi.
tons of this generosity was that BarranO
should not De known or publicly recOg-
nized as the father of his daughter, he in
dignantly spurned it, and with desolate
and heavy heart he left New Orleans
and went to Louisville, Kentucky, from
which point lie wrote to his daughter, Mrs.
GirOud, requesting her to write and ad.
dress him in the name of Benjamin Macke.
This gave her the clue by which she has
since probably traced him to his miserable
grave. From Louisville Mr.. Berrano came
to Dayton, where he lived and died as has
been related. But as time wore apace there
was change in fortune with Mrs. Giroud.
Her husband entered the Southern army
and was killed, and his property, which
consisted chiefly in slaves, was swept away
AS one of the results of the struggle in
which he lost his life. The widow disposed
of the plantation for Confederate money,
so that when the war closed she was very
poor. Her position as fruit dealers daugh-
ter would have been luxury in comparison
with her position. burdened as she was by
the care Of two children, the fruits of her
marriage with Giroud. She returned to
New Orleans and again opened little
fruit stand, and wrote and advertised for
her father at every point where she thought
a communication would reach him, but
nothing could be heard from him from any
source. She led life mOn0tOnOus enough,
until one day, scanning over the list OF ad
vertised letters, her eye fell upon letter
advertised for her IN her maiden name
She went to the postoffice, and when the
letter was delivered to her she found that
it was from schoolmate who had gone to
school with her in France The communica-
ton contained some intelligence about an I'M
known uncle and a princely estate to which |
the BarranO family OF Biscay were entitled. |
And as the reader by this time has began |
to inquire in his mind where the estate to |
which the Montgomery county pauper was |
entitled comes ia, we will go back to the |
first and relate how it came about. 1t |
seems that Alfonso Barrano had an elder |
brother, who ran away from home when !
mere boy, and went to sea. What his ad
ventures were, or how he got his start in |
the world is unknown, but in 1866, it has
been ascertained, he died in one of the
Philippine Islands. a portion of the Spanish
possessions in the East Indies. in posse ssion
IF an estate valued at $33,000,0O0 Ii he
mad heirs they were unknown, but as it
was ascertained that he had originally
come from one OF the basque provinces,
he fact of his death and account of his es-
5ate we're communicated to the authorities
1t Biscay. The matter there became one of
great interest and was probably talked
ibout very generally, and this talk prompt
ID the letter which we have referred to. 1t
was determined that Alfonso Barrano, or
lis representatives, if living, were the
egal heirs of the deceased millionaire.
So then commenced the search for an
leir, which has continued for years, and
which is gradually developing true story,
Is thrilling in interest as any recorded in
he world of fiction. The representatives
If the Spanish government throughout the
world have been charged with the duty of
the whereabouts of Alfonso
3arranO or his representatives, and it is
possible that no clue would ever have been
obtained had it not been for the letter which
Mrs. GirOud received from an associate of
Ter youth. The establishment of the fact
hat Macke, the man who died in the infirm-
ry in this city, is one and the same person
With Alfonso Barrano, of New Orleans. will
lot be conclusive, yet it is an important
act for Mrs. Giroud, and when she succeeds
n establishing it there will be no person
between her and the succession to the es-
ate, and it is likely that, being personally
,nown IN Biscay before she left that coun-
~, she can establish her own identity.
DANNY with Uunuir;n1 Mind