The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-08
The Remarkable Things of the Summer

Along about this time OF the year we be-
gin to hear wonderful snake and fish stories
the sea serpent reappears or the coast, and
boa constructors squirm about quiet New
England ncighborhoods.
Weare told, for instance, OF an anaconda
in the Philadelphia Geological Garden
which lately fell sick, and to cure itself
swallowed the heavy California blanket on
which it lay, and ten days after discharged
its meal as good as new, and with completely
restored health rapidly increased its length
10y two or three feet. A Vermont doctor. II
is reported while driving the other day
hastily to see a patient, encountered an
enormous boa constructor ten or fifteen feet
long, which, however, made haste to get
out OF his way before he could accurately
measure it. A farmers boy passing the
same road afterward saw the same reptile,
but it had grown several feet longer in the
interval. The snake has not since been
seen. rattlesnako eight or ten feet long
has been perambulating the neighborhood
Of Boston, biting dogs and cows and terribly
ing men and women; but n reward Of five
hundred dollars for the capture Of the
monster has not yet brought 1t to bay. The
sea serpent has put in an appearance this
summer of Brigantine Beach, and was first
discovered by that trustworthy and clear
headed skipper, Capt. JAMES HoLDzKoM.
The venerable monster lifted its hOrrid
and portcntous head some sixty feet above
the waves and glared at the Captain, while
with its tail 1t dashed into foam the sea two
or three hundred yards back. The Captain.
however was too much frightened by the
ri f,n fn arf n 10 ife or,t
Philadelphia lawyers report that they lately
caught in Potter county Pennsylvania,
1,76i brook trout in four days, though they
iished only three hours day, and that the
average weight Of the trout was three
quarters Of pound. The total catch
weighed |, 1928 pounds, which certainly was
pretty fair fishing.
But the most remarkable Of the summons
stories relate to big fortunes which have
fallen Unexpectedly into the laps of thereto
fore INDECENT citizens, or which await their
taking just so soon as they get the legal
papers all right. For many years vast es-
tates in England have been seeking heirs,
and it Is the business Of certain Yankee law
yers to hunt them up and do what they can
to secure them for American scions Of the
lullllltS MHbSc luILlllH bul III lllt Ol'l tpul-
try has left the millions to accumulate in
the Court Of Chancery. We never heard OF
anybodys actually getting large amount
OF cash from these old estates, though hosts
of republican BROWNS, JONEsEs and ROBIN
SONS have lived and died in the hope Of cut
ting up among them the almost fabulous
possessions of real or supposititious English
ancestors who were so unfortunate as to die
without attainable heirs or so foolish as to
leave no wills. A lively and imaginative
Massachusetts lawyer supported himself
comfortably during his lifetime, and en-
joyed extensive foreign travel, at the expense
Of conhding citizens who were after such
estates; but the money ho sought has not
yet been divided, though many thousands OF
dollars have been sent after it.
There is the LAWRENCE estate, left by
JOHN LAWRENCE, an Engllshman, which
amounts to $l25,OO0,OOO, so the reports say,
and to obtain which three hundred Law
FENCES met at Boston ten years ago. and
subscribed the money to send out an agent
but none Of these millions have yet crossed
the ocean. There is the HoUGHroN estate,
concerning which long report was printed
so far back as 1913 HouRhton Association
to get it having been formed the year be-
fore. This report said that there is a large
amount Of unclaimed property in England,
belonging to persons In America by the
name Of lloUGHTON;" and the sum was esti-
mated at between ten and twenty millions.
But, though the HoUCHToNs also sent out
an agent, they got no guineas in return, and
very senslbly gave up hunting for needle
in a haystack. There is the great INGRAHANl
estate, about which twenty years since a
| bulky pamphlet was published. 1t was
left by one JOSEPH WILSON Of Yorkshire,
as long ago as 1850 WILSON'S daughter
married n Bostonian named TIMOTHY IL
GRAHAM This property, with compound
! interest, now amounts to untold millions
| for 1t includes the whole OF the great
city OF Leeds; and the number Of American
heirs has increased to over a hundred. But
none of that money has come overup tothis
day, though the INGRAHAMs sent after il
many times and paid literally to get it,
! There Is the WILLoUGHBY claim, about