Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-10-02

Iownley estate, situated in and near
Manchester, England, 1 would be under
many obligations If you would give
me some information on the following
point:
Is there a suit pending in the Court of
Chancery, instituted by the American
heirs to secure possession Of the lar
rance and TOWnley -estate2 In the arti-
Gle clipped from a Topeka, Kan, paper.
which take the liberty of sending YOU
you viii see that the estate is called the
Lawrence and TOWnley estate. The
name should be spelled Larrance instead
Of Lawrence. My claim to a portion of
the state comes through Mary Larrance,
to whom it was Willed by her sister Dor
othy, as you viii see by the article in
closed. An early answer viii place me
uuder many obligations.
Very respectfully, ISAAC LARRANCE.
THE HOAX EXPLODED.
The following communication to Unit
ed States Consul Shaw, of Manschester.
explains that the whole story is a gigan-
tic hoax:
MANCHESTER, August IA, 1884. To Col.
Shaw, u. S. Consul: DEAR SIR-The pre-
tended claim Of the Chase, Lawrence.
Lawrens or any other family in America
to estates in this country is a fraud, with
a set OF rOgues at one end and q set of
dupes at the other. The different and
conflicting statements you have shown
me concerning the TOWnley property,
said to be wanting heirs, We're evidently
gotten up by those who had an eve to
the penalties provided for obtaining
money under false pretenses, for they
are so artfully WOrded that 1t would be
difficult to pin the COncOctOrs down to
anything definite. In some way they
have obtained Just sufficient knowledge
of names and localities in this vicinity
to give color to their tissues of absurd
tiles where nothing more is known than
what these statements contain. But to
those at all COnVersant with the facts
they betray more than was intended, for
where even so much was known there
could hardly fail to be the knowledge
that these fables could be nothing more
than an attempt to play upon the cupid
ity and vanity Of those who can be
easily excited by the notion that they
are the rightful heirs to vast riches.
Sometimes I find it is said the TOWniey
estate is in Lancaster (arUfully misCalled
Lancashire) sometimes in Durham, and
sometimes in Leicester, and the value Is
set down at the modest sum of E5O,OOO,-
600, with e25, 100000 accumulated rents,
etc, lodged by the Court of Chancery in
the Bank of England. Do the people be-
lieve such nonsense, realize what an
amount Of land is represented by this
sum?
A e5Op acre it would represent s. OO,-
600 of acres. There is about 900 square
miles, or three-fOurths as large tract as
the State Of Delaware, one and a quarter
larger than the State Of Rhode Island,
and twice the size of the county of Lei
cester, in which it is said to be located.
There never was any Lord TOwnley, as
pretended; and the only family of note
by that name are cOmmOners. They live
in Lancashire, and have held large es-
tates in that country for a long time, but
there was not a shadow Of a doubt as to
the ownership down to the death Of Col.
IOWnley, a very few years since. In him
believe the male heir run out, and the
estate is to be or has been divided
among his daughters. But it is useless
to follow up the false and ridiculous
statements upon which these claims are
supposed to rest, for I need only. to call
attention to the laws which govern the
ownership of land in this country to
show their absurdity. The fundamen-
tai Misrepresentation that UndeTlies all
these claims is stated In the manifesto
put forth to catch the dupes who bear
the name of Lawrence and Laurens,
wherein the property is called the Town
ley and Lawrence estate. This document
saws: "FrOm the days of Oliver CrOm-
Wei " JA4G kJ-G5CA4uB q kyCAACNA "a OHCA
three centuries, the estates of persons
dying interstate in England, Ireland and
Scotland have been accumulating IN
Chancery awaiting the legal heirs" Now
| it is impossible for such estates to accu-
mulate, for a simple reason 1have con-
suited a distinguished barrister, who
/ holds a high official position, and he in
! forms me that twelve years possession
! of land ripens into title that all legal
-,~oanaHfv7rrr land in dTerlrTfa F0Trnf hu
commenced within twenty years, except
/ in some very exceptional cases, and that
/ all actions and claims Of every descrip-
/ ton are absolutely barred after forty
/ years. The simple facts ought TO be suf-
| ficient for all sensible people You have
already shown there are no funds in the
| Bank of England as alleged. On the LIST
inst. there was published in the London
/ Gdzette a list of all the funds lying dor
/ mant in chanceTy. 1 have it on good
authority that the whole sum is under
81 100000. No mention is there made
of any such sums as are said, in these
American claims, to be awaiting heirs
OF course nothing viii convince the
scamps who live out Of these frauds that
the statements they manage to have cop
led by the American press are nothing
but tumble Of nonsense; and the idle
fellow who bears, or has married a wife
who bears, any Of the names mentioned
uill still find pleasure IN going to the
'store" and, as he sits on the counter anC
swings his legs, entertain the company
! with an account Of the property to which
he is entitled. But the application of 2
little common sense on the part Of those
! who are supposed to possess a fair share
ofthat article, would soon make unre
muneTative this business of getting &
power of attorney for looking after i'm
aginaTy property. Believe me to remain
yours sincerely, PARsONs SHAW.
! He Was Too Loving
! | c.ircirraftI Tfres.efar