The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-02-19
A Worthy Citizen in Luck in His Old
Agc.-Mr. VIM. Hill Falls Heir 10 a

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The readers OF the Ncv York Herald will
doubtless remember having seen in that pa
per Of Il recent date an account OF "itow q
grOccr'S wife became HcircsS OF two millions
which In brief stated thnt one half q century
ago Miss Caroline Hill the Daughter or one
Of England eloped with her fathers butler.
Thomas William, n young lrishman VINO was
handsome and OF manners ana ihteilleencc
superior to what might have been expected OF
n butler, that the father was greatly ei,raged
at first but as Is usual In q short while became
recOncilcd and took them home to reside :;
that In due course OF time Il son was porn 10
them and nance James for his grandfather ;
that when tho boy was in his teens they came
to America and located In the city of New
York that in n short while after this the
young man married Catharine Murphy who
had Il sister named Alice who afterwards
married a grocer in New York by the name
of Swift. In 1851, the story goes, old Mr.. Hill
died leaving q will by the terms OF which his
entire property consisting of real estate val,
ued Mt upwards OF -four hundred thousand
pounds, included In which Is Hazel Court sit
uated In Hertfordshire, England, one OF the
most magnificent country seats In all En-,
gland, ITO the oldest child Of the Oldest child
OF his daughter Caroline and her husband
Thomas William. ut such time as the said old
est child &c should attain the age of twenty.
one years" James William, being the oldest
lowed thai his Oldest child If he should have
one, would be the heir to the estate on us at.
tanning the age OF twcnty-onr. Tho birth Of
the child to whom SHOULD fall the greatest cs-
tate In England was anyiously looked inr.
1t proved to be n girl and was named Cath
arinc Ann William. There were some TWO or
three other children but they all died early:
Some fourteen years ago his wife died and
aunt Mrs. Alice Swift, The father james
William died February 10Th 1878, and n few
months ago Catharine Ann, the prospective
hcircss died leaving n will in which she under
fnnly tn ln1,tcn 6or nnftrn nrnrnrfNr In fhtS
country and in England to her aunt Mrs.
Swift. Mrs. Swift was left the ESccutriH Of
this will and BY her Il was offered for probate
in the SurrOgatc's office In the city Of New
York q few days ago. The above in brief are
the facts upon which Mrs. Swift bases her en-
pectations Of obtaining this vast fortune. 1t
appears however, from the account Of this
matter rs given By the Herald. that accord
ing to Mrs. Swift's own statcmcntsand no one
would likely know better than she. that the
girl was just eighteen years old n short time
before she died. 10Y as the terms Of the will
were that the property was to go TO the oldest
child Of the oldest child Of Thomas and Caro-
line William when said Oldest child attained
the age Of twenty-one and as they never had
q child who attained that age 1t follows Of
course hat no child Of theirs ever became
heir to 1t, consequently Mrs. Swift'S claim Is
not worth the paper upon which IT Is written,
but we think from what follows thai the claim
of our old friend whose name is at the cap
ton Of this, will be recognized by every one
who reads II.
In l7M, there lived in The SOUTHEASTERN por-
ton Of England John James Hill who had nc
n handsome property In cast India
speculations. He had two children both
boys, named respectively John and James
Clarence.
John being of n daring restless disposition,
III brook the restraints Of home life, and be-
ing eager for adventures and excitement ran
away from home and went over to Ireland to
Join the handful of patriotic, though rash
cnioI1D TriCh SDiritS which was headed nv tho
immortal Robert Emmet In their noble
though futile efforts to free their country from
the yoke OF the English government. Fortu-
nately however for him the rebellion so call
ed, was suppressed about that time md before
he had had an opportunity to properly enroll
under the banner Of the "young IriShmen"
and thus he escaped the fate OF Emmct n
many Others.
For this act. his father, being n staunch 10y
alist, disinherited him and on his death left
his entire property 10 his other son James
Clarence who became n clergyman OF the
church of England. John being charmed
with the green fields and the hospitabIe treat
ment which he received ut the hands Of the
ever generous sons Of the Emerald Isle. was
content to remain there and after sowing n
few wild oats settled down in the north Of
Ireland near the site where now Is to be found
the beautiful city Of Belfast. In the course
Of n few years he had established a thriving
mercantile business in the little village OF
In 1904 he married Jane Maffet and on the 5th
OF May 1905 n son was born to them who was
called William after his grandfather VIM.
Maflett and who is none other than the VIM.
Hill who for the last fifty years has been a
resident of Abbcville county and who now re-
sides within two miles Of this place.
Now as by the will Of James Clarence Hill
his entire property was to 20 to the oldest
child of his daughter Caroline on said child
the age of twcnty-one and as no
such child ever attained said age the devse
lapscs and goes back or remains the property
of the estate of James Clarence Hill subject
to the disposition MS fixed by the avs Of Eng
land. John Hill the father OF VIM. Hill Of
this county being an only brother OF James
Hill it follows thatin the eventthere
are no living defendants of James Clarence
Hill, he John Hill or his children would be-
come heirs to the property. 1t is fact that
there are no defendants of James Clarence
Hill now living, mt rs John Hill his only
brother land he had no sisters) is dead his
children and his childrens children become
heirs to the property. Mr.. VIM. Hill has two
living brothers and one sister but has two
sisters dead who each left children now living
SO that there will be six distributions into
which this vast estate will be divided giving
to each one sixty thousand pounds or three
hundred thousand dollars. quite n snug sum
these hard times. Mr.. r. F. Hill q ssh of Mr..
VIM. Hill will leave for England In the ear
~ spring TO look after his fathers Interest.