The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-20

,. +. Evans, Formerly Of AlsIandria, Fa al.
Heir 70 $50, 900, bst Never Claims it-h,'
a.rr,.a w,d.w Comes Forward and Inst-
tutss Shit for the Legacy

The following Il taken from the Phlia-
delphia Record Of TUESDAY:
q a fortune Of Gao, 1000 Is the comfortable
nest.ecy that Il awaiting the return TO MS
native home Of J. r. Evans, Jr.. OF whom
mo tidings have been received since 1919,
when ne was living in philadelphia. young
Evans lived In Alexandria, Va, with MS
father. who was thrifty tradesman there.
Fifteen wears ago, impelled by rowing aus
position. which had been one OF ms Doyisn
characteristics, Evans suddenly lei. honc
"a . sailor before the mast. This life, de.
sp,te its hardships and privations, seemed
tn suit him better than the comforts OF
good home. Occasionally in ms wanuer.
ings over foreign seas the Old Ioiks ~
home would receive letter from hin
The mother died few years after the Doys
departure. Some time in 1874 young
Evans was heard from for the last time.
He was then in Philadelphia, which he had
made his residence for awhile; but al
though the aid OF the courts was obtained
i'm the search for the truant, no trace OF MN
has been found since then.
",Just wear after hearing from his son
I'm this city the father died. everybody
knew that the elder Evans was in comfort
able circumstances, but when 1t came out
that the property he left behind him was
worth over S125,000, principally In we'll.
paving securities, the good citizens OF
Alexandria were struck dumb with sur
prise. His estate was much larger than
anv one supposed, and the three children
ut home were lioniZed for time. The sailor
boy was not forgotten, although his fifteen
years absence had made him almost Il
stranger to the family. The father left him
his birthright, one fourth OF the estate.
and 100000 is now lying in bank subject
to the order OF Court.
:" An energetic and unceasing search has
been made for the missing man for over
three years without any success. Just
about the time that the relatives began
losing hope Of ever finding the missing
heir woman turned up in Alexandria as
claimant for the money. She said she was
married TO the younger Evans several years
ago. But that he had since died. She made
| the claim as his widow, and the heirs re-
sisted it on the ground that the death oc-
Cured before that OF the father, which
therefore barred the widow from any par
ticipation in the estate. Claimant entered
suit to establish her alleged rights and that
suit is still pending. She swears positively
that ner HusDiilu suINlN cu Ills ldtuti.
The truth of the above is confirmed by
the following. which appeared i'll the Alex
andria Gazette Of the same date:
The suit of Mary Jane Evans, formerly a
Miss Henderson, who Is well known as the
wife OF John 7. Evans, Jr., against the
heirs of the late John II. Evans-Mrs.
Stewart. Mrs. Ellis, and Mrs. Watkins
has been on the docket Of the Corporation
Court for some time, and will probably
come up for trial in September. Mrs.
Evans, who is without children, claims
! that her husband died after the death OF his
father, and that she is therefore entitled,
under the laws Of Virginia, to one hall
of one fourth OF the estate OF the
late John T. Evans, which is about
ST., 1000 She is represented by Colonel
Francis l.. Smith and sir. Edmund Burke,
who contend that j. 7. Evans, Jr., was
heard from as late rs August, 1874. Judge
Charles +. Stuart and Me>srs. John VI.
johnson and II. o. ClaughtOn represent
the surviving hers-Mrs. Stewart, Mrs.
Ellis. and Mrs. WatkinS-and contend that
the missing heir has not been heard OF since
1866, and that his death occurred before
that OF his father. and therefore his widow
Ia, no valid claim to any portion Of the
c.tate. As proof OF the claims set up by
the defendants. Bible containing 4 record
OF the death OF the younger Evans in 1870,
in the handwriting OF his father, has been
put in as evidence.