The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1883-06-20
THE GIsT ESTATE.
New Developments Which May Lead TO
Settlement.
INTERESTING HISTORY coNcERNNG IT.
[Trom Lle OIncinnaLI Enlniror.

Vine street Hill, No. sos, lives an
elderly colored man named Lloyd S.
y Lewis, who is probably as we'll edu-
Gated as any Of his race in this vicin-
+. ty. In fact, if one could hear him
talk without seeing him it would not
: be known that he was colored. Lew
is, who mustn be in the neighbor-
hood of seventy years of age, was
raised in Lebanon, Ohio, but for fifty
years past has been a resident Of
this city, At Lebanon he was a
protege Of old Tom Corwin and re-
ceived his education under his aus
pices, the Governor sending him to
the High School at Columbus.
While in Lebanon he had access to
the Governors law library and read
to a great extent there, and has kept
up his reading, as circumstances
would permit, even since, so that he
is thoroughly conversant with all the
principles law, and also with the
tails of most of the important cases
to be found in the law reports.
Hearing that an eccentric English
man named Samuel Cist had left a
large estate to his former slaves in
this country, and that Lewis was act
ing as the legal adviser ofth elegatees,
, a reporter called upon him at his
. residence, and from him heard the
i following interesting story:
e More than a century ago, in fact,
3 before the revolution through which
the United States gained their indie
r. pendence, slavery was abolished in
England Samuel Gist, who was the
t owner of more than 500 of these un-
fortunate people, ,andwho was also the
: |possessor of large tracts of land in
, England, came to this country with
+ his two daughters and his slaves, and
+ purchased two counties in southeast
J. ern Virginia, comprising what is now
f known as the "Dismal Swamp" and
:. a tract of some 1000 acres of land in
e Brown and Clermont counties in this
State. He continued to reside in this
country until the war Of 1912, when
: he emancipated all his slaves, and
made a will, bequeathing to them all
his property in Virginia and Ohio,
the same to be held in trust for them,
his will being recorded in the Pro
bate Court of Highland county, this
10 State. He then returned to England
70 with one Of his daughters, the other
N having married in Virginia, and who
% afterward died without issue. In
. 1915 Gist died, leaving in trust for
% his slaves, after setting aside a hand
20 some competency, for his surviving
y daughter, all his property in England.
2 Not long after this daughter also
died without issue, and, by will, left
her property as had her father. 1t
is alleged that the trustees under
these wills, instead of converting the
estate of Gist and his daughter into
money and investing the same for
the benefit of the slaves aforesaid,
after disposing of the property, con
verted the proceeds to their own use,
and not dollar was ever received
by any of the legatees.
In this state the matter rested until
about five years ago, when a Mrs,
Hudson, who resides on Longworth
street in this city, called upon Lewis
and related the story as above mar.
rated to him. Mr.. Lewis took an
interest in the matter and visited
Brown county, where most of the
surviving heirs and their descendants
now reside, where he ascertained the
fact Of Gists will being recorded at
HillsbOro. He then visited thai
4 place, but was not altogether sue
i cessful in the search for the will
which he was unable to find. Re
4 turning to this city he called a meet
i ing of the heirs, who number les
i than one hundred, twelve of whom
! now aged, are Of the original slave
emancipated by Gist. A centra
committee was organized, and Nh
Lewis chosen as their legal represen
tative and given a power of attorne,
~ to act for them in all matters per
sc tanning to the recovery ofthe estate
Mr.. Lewis then sent Mrs. Hudson f
Ut London, Ontario, where sheprocure
. a copy of the certified copy of tn
- English will, from which it appear
ay that the value of the property lei
the legatees in that country must b
lst in the neighborhood of $50, 900, ,ooc
Major Charles Blackburn was the
nd retained, and he visited Hilsborc
", where he succeeded, after consider,
BILE research, in finding the America
TO- will, from which it was ascertaine
y Gist left 5000 acres Of land in VII
.v ginia and 5000 in Brown and Gle
in. mont counties, the village of Arhein
.ile Brown county, being on this trac
After further investigation and aft,
Ia- collecting ali evidence possible
prove that the parties represented b
Mr. Lewis were the ones referred
in Mr.. Gists will, it was decided
~ send an attorney to London to il
stitute legal proceedings in tb