The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-07-28
VOL. 9.
The Bulletin.
AN QCTOROON'S FORTUNE.
The Wealth ofthe Late John ID. Lewis,
Of New York Goes to His Coal.
Black Kelatiyes-A peculiar and In
teresting Case


(ffom The New YORK Herald, July ~
A decision was given yesterday by
I Judge Barrett in the contested will case
OF lehry Lewis against Mary Smith,
| John ID. Walden, and others, tried before
/ him In December last at supreme court,
| special term, AbOuttwO years ago John
/ u. Lewis, u prominent New York mer-
! chant, was thrown from his carriage
while driving in Central park and inst
| antly killed. His lite was always sur
rounded by mystery. Though passing
Tor white man In fashionable society
and among the merchants on looking at
him one would always say 10 himself,
That man has some foreign blood in
his veins He never would disclose
anything about his history, and always
claimed that he had no relatives in the
world. His lie, in short, was d puzzle.
His sallOw complexion, long, straight
black hair, piercing but fascinating eyes,
attracted attention. Few, however, sup
posed that II Indicated negro origin. The
general suppostion was that he was OF
creole or Spanish descent. lie lett an
estate valued at $4,000 and peculiar
Will, in which he provided, after giving
about $1,000 to some acquaintance, that
the income OF his estate should be given
to Miss Lizzie Barton Taylor, only,
however, as long as she remained single.
On her marriage it was 10 cease; but on
her death the income was 10 20 TO her
children, provided she had any. II she
had none, on her death she was 10 be
buried In the same plot in Greenwood
cemetery with John ID. Lewis, and then
the estate was 10 be used up in deCorat-
ing tho joint grave. Though he was
obliged 10 appear in court frequently
duriL < his lifetime no lawyer was ever
sharp enough.to elicit from him any de
tails OF his birth. The testimony in court
upliitcd the veil under which this eCcen-
tric man sought in his lifetime to keep
from the public his ancestry, Forty
years ago he was porter in the retail
store Of POilllon and Co., in Catherine
street. Bright and active he soon became
a clerk. Sceking higher sphere Of duty
ana one Of more brilliant prospects, he
became salesman in the house OF +, 4
". Coon q co. He formed a partnership
with two fellow clerks under the name OF
Lewis, Haviland q Co. Here he amass-
ed large fortune, After a time this
firm was dissolved, and the new firm Of
John II. Lewis x Co. was formed. His
business prospered, and from his aCcum-
nlatcd gains he speculatcd largely in real
estate. He was never married, but kept |
an expensive bachelor establishment. He
ircquentcd DclmOniCO's and other eXpen-
slye places OF res ort where he eynccd an
to excel all others in LAVISH ex-
pendlture OF money. striving and strug- |
ling 20 hinder every one from knowing
now after iils deatn tnat Which lie laDor-
ed go hard to conceal has become pubic
Iy known-that he was the son OF q slave
mother wholly the underground rallroau
cscaped TO Canada, and there cohaDltlng
with a white man gave birth 10 TINS lu,
turc New York merchant The plantln
In the case-his brOther-s cOal-Dla'h
negro, son OF the same mother anu
slave father in Virginia, and one OF Ihe
defendants is black woman, emu ol
the same slave marriage, Jollll ~, LEWIS
heinV unmarried and without chiiureh
these two black people are the Etirs az
law and under the decision OF Judge
Rarrcrt these two negroes, eX-slaye', VIII
eventually become owners OF all 'liIs vas.
property. Judge Barrett decides tliat t'e
nnly portion of the VIII which is valid Il
that which gives to Miss Taylor the ~
come Of the estate during her me- lie
further decides that on her marriage OF
death, whether leaving children or not,
the entire estate goes TO the pIantlti ana
his black sister Mary Smith. The case
at the time excited considerable interest,",
and the testimony, which was peculiar,
was listened 10 with marked interest.
there was large array OF counsel, the
plaintiff being represented by Judge ~,
tenhoeler, Cornelius A. Runkle' Davlu
Tisdale, queens counsel oil Canada
Messrs. Engehart, and Sanger and de-
PENDANTS by Sterling & Waldron, Ben,
iamin F. Cunning, eX.Judge Jones, and
ID Hewitt.