Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-14

The Queens Bench Said to Have Found
An Heir to . Great Estate.

A telegram to the New York Times from Buff
falo, March 10, says:-The wife Of Deacon Sid
ney s. Brown, of Bagdad, near Gowanda, n. T.,
has been acknowledged by the court of queens
bench as an heiress to the Lawrence-Townley
estate in England, valued at $10O, 200, 600,
about s4o,0oo,oOo of which is believed to be
her due.
Before the opening Of the present century
Lord Townley owned a fine estate in England
and was the parent Of a willful but comely lass
tests, became engaged to one John Lawrence, o
man OF good family. but OF no considerable
wealth. Failing to conciliate the ladys father,
the young people came TO America and were
married at Springfield, Mass. During much of
the latter colonial period communication was
but little carried on between the mother conn-
try and America and the father and daughter
never became reconciled. 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
h ns ar have h up TO- the present time
was Me ale mnster statoneSq in
Illinois; but when the war broke out in the
1bS laoSd year he enlisted as private.
lowed for bravery, he being the individual who
unaided, arranged the meeting between Presf.
dent Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, by means OF
which he hoped for a settlement of difficulties.
AZ the close Of the war Col. jacques went to
springfield, Mass, to engage in the ministry,
ord of the marriage of John Lawrence and Mary
Town!ey. Being aware of the estate in England
awaiting claimants, Col. Jacques set about
hunting up the heirs His investigation brought
him to Gowanda, where he informed Mr.. Brown
that his wife. who was daughter of the late
Judge Wilders, of Springvile, was a direct de-
scendant OF Mary Lawrence, and therefore one
OF the heirs of the vast estate. Mr.. Brown exc.
cufed bonds on the estate, raised sufficient
money to prosecute the claim, and sent Col.
Jacques to Europe, whittier he went after de-
Ginning the position of Secretary of the Treasury
under the late President Garfield. Soon after his
arrival in England the court of queens bench
decided that the claims of the American heirs
were valid, and since that time Col. Jacques has
been engaged in complying with the technicali
ties of English law Mr.. brown last week re-
ceived 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 tC
procure an act of parliament directing 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 labors
sylvester Cowles, ID. D., OF Randolph, purchased
ponds In the estate, and is said to be very anx
1ous to live until the final settlement, when he
expects S115,OO0 He is now over so years, and
wants to round off a useful career by endow
ing Hamilton College, from which he was grad
uated, with S4O,O 900, and also placing $40, OOO
to he credit of Il college for coIored people in
tennessee. He was one of the original anti
the colored race.