New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-27
FORTUNE HUNTERS ABROAD.
CLAIMANTS OF ESTATES IN ENGLAND.
ox,v ONE MILLION POUNDS IN CHANcERY 70

oxiy ONE MILLION POUNDS IN CHANCEBf ~
SATISFY ALL THE HUNGRY "HFIEs."
WASHINGTON, Dec. ga paper on the sub
,i - unclaimed estates IN England, prepared, under
a., d,rction of Minister Lowell, by Henry WHITE one OF
the American secretaries OF legation has been sent ny
the President to Congress with other state p"poiS'
There seems to be no doubt, SIR White says tn"'
many arc led believe themselves heirs TO vast estates
In Great Britain by designing persons on both sides OF
tho ocean, who with view to personal GAM insert NO
tces I'm newspapers in the United states tp the erect
that large property left by person OF the same Manu-
witt that of some well known family Of the district OF
of some exceedingly common name likely to occur any
where such Smith Jones. who distribute lar ana
wide lists of unclaimed estates which do not exist
Large sums of money are annually thrown away by the
dimes OF these advertisements and fictitious lists ana
handsome revenue is made by inc agents.
ms they call themselves, for the discovery
OF lost heirs and the recovery OF uheIa'neu
estates The method usually adopted by these agents Is
10 ask first for remittance Of two or three pounds 10
the cost of copying the will upon when the ca
purports based then larger sum forthe expenses
of Bsttutng inquiries; and at each successive stage
blackmail is levied, the correspondence peinS Do
cleverly conducted that several years frequently e"P'
before the fraud discovered. None should contribute
n dollar to unknown agents especially toward any OK
penses connected with establishing claims to estates III
this country inquiry has been made OF cOunsei
here. first the existence OF the estate ana 'h "
10 the chances OF It's recovery am told by repntao'e
solicitors that not claim in thousand OF all oSo
referred them by the Legation has had any 'u''S
Whatever, and very few during their long experience
of claims for America have been successful
White SAYS the archives Of the Legation snow tha'
considerable proportion OF its foreign
composed Of letters upon tn subject lie desctoes tue
results of Inquiries relating the Jenhens estate 10
which there were many American claimants showing
that the property the heirs at law long before
American claimants were heard OF, and lnat
the latter never had the shadow OF ute
10 it," Moreover, had the title once heen good one IL
of the statue OF limitations. ANY attempt 'eIeoi H.
continues Mr. White, to recover real estate from .O
when may be extended to thirty under certain ercu
wears. however valid tie claim person making the
attempts may have been originally, is certain 10 ehu III
failure. All members. consequently of the 'Jehnens
Association of the United States of America may rest
assured that their subscriptions are simpS InonoS
thrown away their object be the recovery OF the Je
estate. Recently letter was received mere rom
member of the aforesaid Jennens ASSOCIATION VIZ no
had just been informed that genera 0 md
had been levied for the year ending June 90 it anu
who before paving the same Inquired whether tne L9Ea
tiOn could furnish any Information reSarJIhg tne
mems estate SAID to be pending before the Court oi
Similar TO this case are the "Hedgcs estate" the
bradford estate the Clyde estate, the Horne
estate" and many others which described as among
'the ordinary my this by which many Of country
men have been begulled." With regard to large sums
Bank of England Mr.. White quotes FROM letter written
by the chief accountant of that Institution as follows m
- There are large amounts OF unclaimed STOCK or
dividends standing In our hooks. speaking eeherltS
without having made exhaustive research Wnich
would involve considerable labor, there are lew
amounts OF $1,000. and probably none Ihat eace ed
tins by than 1 100 or &2OO' Ana III reSaru
the fabulous fortunes locked up III ChanceTy ne
ITO judge the letters received at this LEGATION rom
the United IN reference to the unclaimed 1uhus III
Chaneery many of our counryineh must imaglne tn't
Institution to be depository OF ibcacula6le millions;
goUdly share which be easily Withdrawn upon tue
Institution Of a claim to the same by the Amerlcan
Minis and without requirement by the court OF any
particulars OF the SUIT. the relationship
of the claimant TO the parties mentioned ineIein
the original of the estate claimed II Is rare tu"
OH this subject snalIcr
sum is mentioned than revera millions and frequently
correspondents state that they are ertltIed 10
twenty fifty, and even millions. Ii will Doubtless
cause surprise disappointment to such as THESE
he informed nat the whole amount OF money III Tue
custody of the Court u Chancery at the present time
is about eS4,0O0.000, of which &S5.OOO.ooO
belong who are known, LEAVING about
81 600 900 only Of unclaimed or dormant funds