The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1878-04-09
THE SOURCE OF wINDFALLs.
Fabulous sums ot Money in the
hank OF England a I've aiting Claim
nnts-How lt Accumuiates.

From the ~ Y. Times.
Millions Of pouIsSs OF sterling arc now
lying in the Bank Of England without {
statement of an English attorney, who
has written useful little book ON un.
claimed money. IL London cool
should say that he had frequently seer
tables loaded down with roast beef and
Southdown mutton, while men sal
around clutching their gaunt hands over
their unfed stomach and dying..of hung
or, we should say without hesitation that
no was not truthful person. But the
the love OF money Is as strong passion
as hunger. For the one and tho other
men will lie, cheat, steel, burn, murder
anything for dollar or a dinner-yet
tho owner of these millions have but u
appear and claim their own Not one OF
them, thowever, knows that he has a
shilling in the Bank Of England, and
that is the strange part of il. II is al.
most incredible that money in vast sums,
amounting sometimes 10 81 200, 900 or
more, should be mislaid, as it were, put
away by the father or uucle, and forgot
ten by the next and all succeeding gen.
erations. Yet this is the story told over
and over again IN tho records Of un-
claimed funds. Windfalls are tho pivot
upon which the action Of countless novel
turns, and thousands Of unlucky but
sanguine mortals refrain from drowning
themselves or taking their lager wine,
strychnins seasoning solely through
the rotine of expected assets. The
III 1nna .,t.t all
ped up in this ownerliss treasure guard
ed by the Bank OF England are incon-
ceivable. How many tales ''unco
mornfu and otherwise, would It's right
ful distribution unfold, how smany suf-
fering souls would be made happy! All
this might be il people knew who they
were and whence they came. The
assiduous cultivation of the family tree
il the surest way 10 discover and secure
unexpected blessings Of this nature. 1t
is not reluctant and tender plant, but
right hardy and Of certain growth when
well tended.
England, through the great Bank in
Threadneedle street, is the trustee OF
more unclaimed money than any other
country on the whole globe-probably
Of more than all put together, simply
because she is one OF the Oldest of the
highly civilized powers, and had fixed
financial habits and institutions as early
as any, and more especially because she
is mother whose children have strayed
wildly. She is the mother country TO us
and 10 q vast range OF colonies. English
blood and the English speech are found
everywhere on earth where water runs
and grass grows. This long-contnued
emigration has sundered countless ties
OF kindred and disturbed or broken up
the lines Of property succession in thous-
ands Of families. The emigrant has
commonly had but slender means going
abroad young, with resolute heart and
ready hands TO seek fortune in the new
country; while the older generation,
settled in vocation and in possession Of a
competency, has staid at homo. With
travel, change, and adventure the form
er grows indifferent to home ties, COM
munications grow less frequent, and is
dropped-often because there Is nothing
but ill-luck to write about-and at length
the staid, conversative old father, or
uncle, or elder brother, grows fatter and
richer with years, dies and leaves his
wealth 10 the vnndercr, who never hears
Of the bequest. The estate then, per-
haps, gets into chancery, and ia fritted
away or bestowed in direction entirely
contrary to the intention Of the testator:
or, if no will be found, and the heir-at-
law not appearing, nor any next Of kin,
the estate reverts 10 the Crown. Ii may
be recovered, however, on establishing
claim.