The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-08
AN HEIR TO MILLIONS.
The Good Fortune Which Has Come to a
st. Louis Painter.

st. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"Does Gerard Anslyn work here?" asked a re
porter of a member of the firm of Flesh &
Nook, at No. SIC North Third street, this morn
ing.
Yes; he is up on the fourth floor at work, y
was the reply.
II understand that he has fallen heir to an
immense fortune. Is it true?"
Il believe it is a fact: but go up and see him."
The reporter accepted the invitation and
climbed three flights of stairs to the paint shop
where a group OF men were putting on their
coats to go to dinner. In answer to the ques-
ton as to who was Mr.. Anslyn, a workman who
was just starting off turned around and said that
was his name. He was a tall, s~lenderly
bullt young man, apparently about
thirty years of age, and with an
rough garb of a workingman. There was moth
ing in his appearance which would lead one to
think that he was one of the heirs to a sum of
money which is Stimated at 300, 900, 900.
Nevertheless it is a fact. The way in which the
knowledge of his good fortune came to him is
somewhat remarkable. Upwards of eighty years
ago a fortune valueda at 80, 900, 900 marks was left
by a man named Van Hook, at Hamburg. and.
according to the young mans story, there has
been a legal contest over the disposition of the
property for fifty years past. This contest was
decided over two years ago, and the possession
was a~djudged to belong principally to "a family
of Casters, the mother of which was a Van
Hook. This family had enjoyed the use of the
E'Ft lE@N ~ 49, NN6bA CAAttP pob bAO OiNANA
members passed away in the interval, and
the younger members had forgotten all about
the matter. One branch of them went to the
West Indies, and it was there that Mr.. Anslyn's
mother was born, whose maiden name
was Louisa Caster. From Curacao, in the
West Indian Islands, young Anslyn and his
mother came to this city about twelve years ago,
and have been living here ever since. When the
Casters were adjudged the rightful heirs of the
vast fortune in the courts an advertisement was
inserted in a number of newspapers calling upon
representatives of the family to make them
selves known. One of the advertisements APP
peared in a st. Louis paper, but was overlooked
by the Anslyns. 1t so happened, however, that
on the occasion of the visit of a German Prince
to Curacao, a member of his suite mentioned the
fact to a cousin of young Anslyn, whose name is
Caster, and he at once wrote to his relatives
here apprising them of the fact. They placed
the matter in the hands of a lawyer, and the
proper preliminary steps have been taken to es-
tablish their rights to the property. The Amer
lean minister has interested himself in the case,
and has written that there is no dobt of the
validity of their claim. Of course, the interest
amounts to a much larger sum than the princi-
pal, and trouble is anticipated on that score, as
the minister states that it would probably Grip
pie the prlnclpallty to pay it. Mr.. Anslyn says
that the family record has been proven, and he
and his friends and relatives in Germany and
bis lawyers are confident that a large share of
The fortune will soon be turned over to Mrs.
Anslyn. Everything necessary has been done
to obtain possession, and they are now awaiting
a notification that the property is at their dis
posal. There cannot be more than twelve direct
heirs to the fortune, and it is more than likely
that there are less, so that the share of the Ans
lyns will place them among the millionaires of
the country. Mr.. Anslyn is well spoken of bv
his employers, and deserves his good fortune.
lie has no definite plans for the future, but it
may be safely asserted that his paint-pot and
brush will be laid on the shelf, and that he will
indulge III the pleasanter occupation of cutting
coupons.