Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-13
A STORY OF MILLIONS.
The Queens Bench Said to Have Found
an Heir to a Great Estate.


BUFFALO, March 10.-The wife of Dea-
con Sidney S. Brown, of Bagdad, near
Gowanda, n. Y, has been acknowledged
by tie Court of Queens Bench as an
heiress to the Internationally estate
in England, valued at Sl0O, 100000, about
$40, 900 900 of which is believed to be her
due.
Before the opening of the present CEN
fury Lord TOwnley owned line estate in
England and was the parent of willful
but cOmely lass named Mary, who, despite
her fathers protests, became engaged to
one John Lawrence, a man OF good family
but of no considerable wealth. Failing
to conciliate the lady's father the young
people came to America and were mar
| ried at Springfield, Mass. During much
of the latter colonial period cOmmunlca-
| ton was but little carried on between the
mother country and America, and the
| father and daughter never became recon-
| ciled. Lord Townley died, and the
family in England became extinct. For
over fifty years the estate was in the
hands of the English authorities, with no
| claimants, and might have remained so
up to the present time but for the late
war. In 1860 James Jacques was Meth
Odist minister, stationed in Illinois; but
when the war broke out in the following
| year he enlisted as private. Promotion
in the field soon followed for bravery, he
| being the individual who, unaided, ar
ranged the meeting between President
| Lincoln and Jetfersoda Davis, by means OF
| which he hoped for q settlement Of diff
| culties. At the close Of the war Col.
| jacques went to Springfield, Mass, to en-
gage III the ministry, and While there &C
cidentally ran across the record of
| the marriage Of John Law
| renee and Mary Townley. Be
| ing aware Of the estate in England
awaiting claimants, Col. Jacques set
| a out hunting up the heirs. His inVeSti-
! Cation brought him to GOwanda, where be
| informed Mr.. Brown that his wife, who
| was a daughter Of the late Judge Wildars,
/ of SpTingYille, was a direct descendant CT
| Mary Lawrence, and therefore one of the
| heirs to the vast estate. Mr.. Brown exc
| cUtcd bonds on the estate, raised sufficient
| money to prosecute the claim, and sent
| Col. Jacques to Europe, whittier he went
| after declining the position of Secretary of
the Treasury under the late President
! Garfield. Soon after his arrival in Eng
| land the Court of Queens Bench decided
that the claims OF the American heirs
| were valid, and since that timeCOi.Jacqu
| has been engaged in complying with
the technicalities of English law. Mr..
Brown last week received a letter from
| Col. jacques stating that he had given
two members OF the House Of Lords
an interest in the estate, for which they
were to procure an act of Parliament d.
recting the transfer of the proceeds of the
estate to the Treasury of the United
States. Col. Jacques is to receive one
third Of the estate for his lanors. Sylyes-
ter Cowles, d. D., of Randolph, purchased
bonds in the estate, and is said to be very
anxious to live until the final settlement,
when he expects $l15,000. He is now over
| SO years old, and wants to round off use
! full career by endowing Hamilton College,
| from which he was graduated, with $40,-
600, and also placing $4,000 to the credit
of a college for cOlOred people in Ten
| nesSee.