Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-05-08
UNCLAIMED MILLIONS IN EUROPE.
Property In chancery and Those whe
Have Claim to It.
New York Mail end Express.l

Have Claim TO It.
New York Mail and Expnessl
The front of an uninviting old brick
building on certain street contains a
sign, the most prominent lettering of
which is Next Of kin; over $1,000, 900
pounds sterling unclaimed" This sign
marks tho business and printing
office OF a man whose occupation
is that of searching old foreign
records and .chancery lists for
people of this country who be-
lieve they are heirs to property and
estates in Europe. When asked for
particulars regarding his unusual occu-
patton the proprietor of the place said:
Eyes, it Is fact that the records
of the Bank of England, the court of
chancery, and the Somerset house show
that the enormous sum Of over N, 000,-
900 pounds sterling, in money and prop
erty, has been left in England by per-
sons who have died intestate or without
any known heirs. This gigantic sum
has been accommodating for the past 800
years, subject to the demand of tho
direct issue or rightful heirs, and it is
unquestioned that large percentage of
the rightful heirs are now settled in tho
United States and Canada"
Are you often successful In your
searches2" asked the reporter.
Il have been in this work for twenty
two years, dealing particularly WITH
claims in England, France and Holland
the last six years. In this time have
visited Europe regularly twice a year,
taking on each trip an average of about
twenty-five claims to look up. Out of
the twenty-five ! am usually successful
with about three. I go only as an at
torney, to investigate, but each person
for whom | go must pay me fee for
expenses, besides agreeing to allow me a
per cent on the amount of property or
money obtained, should his claim prove
to be successful. Only this week have
received this will from England, after a
long search. 1t is an old, musty docu-
ment, and one of its specifications is
that the properly left By the testator
shall not be sold nor mortgaged for 100
years from the date of the will. I shall
sail for England on July to investigate
this case and about forty Others"
How much money do these forty
claims represent"
ITO one not familiar with the busi-
ness the amounts claimed are most
astonishing. This one bundle of claims
which | shall take over with me repre-
sents millions of dollars-more money,
in fact, than would pay off the national
debt. The claimants are all of the bet
ter class of intelligent people, too; bust
ness men, bankers, newspaper men and
professional men from all parts of the
country, but particularly from the west.
1t costs me about $500 to make one OF
these trips. When | get to London
there are only four or five places to 90
to, and if Edo not find the names there
| give up the search. The books on the
subject are all open for inspec-
ton, If | find before going that
a person is to get large amount,
advise them to go them
selves. But when person 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. l have a
great many people come to me with
large claims that they can not prove at
all, having been started in the idea by
seeing some one else successful. A fine
thing for the heirs of these unclaimed
estates is the law passed few years
ago in England. This is that unclaimed
money of this kind shall be used by the
government in building hospitals and
public buildings of all kinds, In return
Tor the use of the monel the government
allows per cent Thus, when the
rightful heir is found or proves his
title, he gets not only the money origin
ally due him, but if the government has
used it he gets per cent additional"