Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-07-20

IMAGINE THEY HAVE A CLAIM TO IT.
A TALK WITH THE MAN WHO MAKES
THE SEARCHES.
The front of an uninviting old brick
building on a street near the Five Points
contains sign, the most prominent letter.
ing of which is Next TO Kin; over En-
600 600 unclaimed" This sign marks
the business and printing Office of man
whose occupation is that of searching old
foreign records and chancery lists for peo-
pie OF this country who believe they are
heirs to property and estates in Europe
When asked tor particulars regarding his
unusual occupation. the proprietor of the
place said recently to a reporter of the
Mail and Express. Yes. it is tact that
the records OF the bank of England. the
Court of Chancery and the Somerset
House show that the enormous sum of
has been left in England by persons who
have died intestate or without any known
heirs. This gigantic sum has been ac-
cumulating for the past 800 years. subject
to the demand of the direct issue or right
tul heirs, and it is unquestioned that a
large PERCENTAGE of the rightful heirs is
now settled in the United States and Can
ada"
"Are you often successful in your
searches?" asked the reporter.
81 have been in this work tor % wears,
dealing particularly with claims in Eng
land, France and Holland the last six years.
In this time | have visited Europe regu-
larry twice year, taking on each trip an
average of abOu. % claims to look up.
Out of the % am usually successful with
about three. | 60 only as an attorney, to
investigate, but each person for whom
60 must pay me S25 for expenses. besides
agreeing to allow me 3 per cent on the
amount Of property or money obtained,
should his claim prove to be successful.
"What is the largest amount you have
ever Obtained in this way for claimant ?"
at was for resident of Long Island
and reached $lS5,000. An estate that
am looking up now for resident of Ohio.
ii successful. as it now appears to be, will
in hand since the beginning of the year,
and it all depended or finding a certain
will drawn in l740. ONLY this week have
received this will from England. after a
long search. 1t is an old, musty document
and one of its specifications is that the
property left by the testator shall not be
sold or mortgaged for 100 years from the
date of the will. shall sail tor England
on July l, to investigate this case and
about forty Others
"How much money do these forty
claims representa-
ITO one not familiar with the business
the amounts claimed are most astonishing
This one bundle of claims which | shall
take over with me, represents millions of
dollars. more money in fact than would
pay off the national debt. The claimants
are all of the better class of intelligent
people, too; business men, bankers, news
paper men. and professional men from all
parts of the country. but particularly
from the West. 1t costs me about $400
to make one of these trips, When | get
to London there are only four or five
places to 90 to. and if do not find the
names there give up the search. The
books on the subject are all open for in
spection. If find before going that
them to 60 themselves. But when a per-
son says to me, as many do: Why, as
you are going over anyway, just look up
my name, please refuse to do so most
decidedly. for if | did business in this
way | would not get over there at all.
have great many people come to me
with large claims that they cannot prove
at all, having been started in the idea by
seeing someone else successful. Why, |
have received as many as sixty-four let
tiers week of inquiries. and lately the
business has grown so extensively that |
have had to have a special man stationed
regularly in London
"Do you charge for looking into your
lists here?"
"Yes. | have procured at much trou-
Bile and expense lists of about 100000
names all over the world of persons who
have been advertised for in these matters,
together with full chancery lists of Eng
land, France, Ireland and other countries
In order to get some return for my outlay,
| charge each person who wishes to look
in these lists 81. Every three years there
is published in England an official chan
Gerry list, and this also have. A fine
thing for the heirs of these unclaimed es-
tates is the law passed few wears ago in
England. This is that unclaimed money
of this kind shall be used by the govern
ment in building hospitals and public
buildings of all kinds. In return for the
use of the money the government allows
3 per cent. Thus, when the rightful heir
is found or proves his title. he gets not
only the money originally due him, but if
the government has used it, he gets 3
per cent additional. The large amount of
money in chancery has caused much COM
ment in England. as you can see from
clipping have taken pains to save from
the London Telegraph:
Enormous sums of money are now
going begging. simply waiting for some
one to claim them. Why do not the per-
sons entitled to the dormant funds in
Chancery" step forward and by disclosing
their existence and their names become
the happy possessors of substantial for
tunes for the rest OF their natural lives ?
The explanation of the remarkable fact
that Ell 900 900 were at the beginning of
last year locked up somewhere in the
office or under the control of the Paw
master General IN Chancery must surely
lie in the ignorance of those who have
rightful claim to any portion of this
wealth. 1t is impossible to conceive that
they have all taken vow of life long
poverty. like the early monks, or that they
are haters of filthy lucre like Timon. or
that they have shared the fate of the Seven
Sleepers, and are oblivious to sublunary
matters altogether Since the historic
case OF ''Jarndyce VS.. Jarndyce" was con.