Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1885-12-27
POPULAR MYTHS.
Letter from One Of the Secretaries of
the American Legation at Lon
don ON the
Subject Of s'Unclaimed'' Estates In En-
gland-How American "CIaiE-
antso Are
Swiodled by Designing Persons on Both
Sides CT the Atlantic-The M0dus
Operandi Adopted.

WASHINGTON, December 26.--A paper
on the subject of unclaimed estates N
England, prepared under the direction of
Minister Lowell by Mr.. Henry White, one
OF the American secretaries of legation,
has beef sent By she President to Con-
gTess with other state Papers. There
seems to be no doubt" Mr.. White says,
"that many are led to believe themselves
heirs to vast estates in Great Britain by
designing persons on both sides OF the
ocean, who, with a view to personal gain,
insert notices in local newspapers in the
United States to the effect that large
property left by person of the same name
with that Of some we'll known family of
the district. or of some exceedingly CON-
mon name likely to ocerr anywhere, ouch
as Smith or Jones, or who distribute far
and wide lists of unclaimed estates which
do not exist. Large sums of money are
annually thrown away by the dupes OF
thess advertisements and fictitious
lists, and q handsome revenue is
made by the agents, as they call
themselves, FOR the discovery Of lost
heirs and the recovery OF unclaimed
estates. The moius optrdndi usually
adopted by these agents is to ask first for a
remittance of e2 or s3 TO cover the cost of
copying the will upon which the claim
purports to be based, then large sum for
the purpose of instituting inquiries, and at
each successive stags more blackmail is
levied, the correspondence being so clever
ly conducted that several years frequently
elapse before the fraud is discovered. None
should contribute dollar to unknown
SCENTS, especially toward any expenses
connected with establishing claims to e.
tate in this country, until inquiry has been
made OF counsel here first as to the exist
ence of the estate and then as to the
chances of IFS recovery. l am told by
reputable citizens that not one claim in q
thousand Of all those referred to them by
the legation has had any validity what
ever, and very few during their long e1-
periences of claims from America have
been successful"
soME OF THE UNCLAIMED" ESTATES"
The paper is a long one and treats the
subject exhaustively. Mr. White says the
archives OF, the legation show that con.
siderable proportion of its foreign cores
pondence is comprised of letters upon this
subjsct. Mr.. W hite describes tho results
of inquiries relating to the "Jsmes estate, u
to which there were many American
claimants, showing thst the.property went
to the heirs-st-law long before American
claimants were ever heard of. and that the
Moreover, had the title once been good
one it would long since have be.
come worthless by the operation of the
| statute of limitations. "ADy attempts
therefore" continues Mr.. White, "to re.
/ cover real estate from the crown or indi.
viduals after lapse of twelve years which
may be extended to thirty under certain
circunstances), personal property after 6
lapse OF twenty yeers, however valid
the claim of the pereon making the at
| tempt may have been originally, is cel tain
to end in failure. All members conss
| quently of the clemens Association o.
| the United States of Americs," may res
assured that their subscriptions are simply
money thrown away. if their ohiecI
be the recovery OF the JenneDt
| ceived from a member Of the aforesaid
Jennens Association, who had just beer
| notified that geaeral assessment of s;
| had been levied for The yesr ending june
80, 1854, ard who bsfo. 6 paying the same
| inquired whether the leg ton could fur
nish any Information ~ ding the Jen
| mems estate, said t, bs psadipg before the
Court of ChenceTy in + gland. The lettel
inclosed sundry interesting documents
emanatiDg from the association, in one o
which it is stated that the Finance CJm
mittee is fiualy Satisfied with our agents
progress in the csee; d further Oh, tina
it becomes necessary for each and every
member OF the association to respond with
cash ss literally as their means will e ffor(
to carry the case to fiual issue, which
we have every reason to believe will b,
successful, provided the funds be fur
nished." Similar to this case are thl
"Hedses estate" he Bradford estate,
the Hyde estate," the "He,ne CT tste" an'
many others, which are described a
among the ordinary myths by which s.
many of our countrymen have been be
guilsd."
FUNDS IN TIE BAsK OF ENGLAND AND L