Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-28
THE CARIB0O QUEEN.
Mystery of the Mining Days
of British Columbia.
AN HEIR TO A LARGE ESTATE.
A Romantic Story of Sir Charles
Heath of Heathdale, England
His Death.


vast estates in chancery for which the
heirs have not been discovered. Each
year, however. some one OF these Inys.
teries is unraveled and brought into
public notice by either real or imaginary
heirs, who enter their claims prefaced
with carefully prepared documents
tracing their lineage back for genera.
ton, in the vain endeavor to establish o
relationship to the deceased intestates.
A minority of these seekers for ancestral
fortunes are from the United States,
consisting of the descendants of parents
who left England years ago, aud in the
turmoil of newly settled country be-
came lost to their relatives and family
in the old country. Among the large
estates in chancery is one likely to be
withdrawn this year under very roman
tic circumstances, which has stood for
twenty years with no heir apparent. tits
located in Hampshire, near the beauti.
full village of Hursley, about seven miles
north of Southampton. Hursley is q
quiet, shady nook, with broad avenues,
lined with great elms tn at intermingle
their gnarled limbs in a natural arch
way of surprising loveliness. Despite
its seclusion, Hursley has gained a rep.
utation in the outside world, from the
fact that John Keble, author of the
christian Year and other popular
works, is buried in the little cemetery
near the antique parsonage, where he
resided during his life.
just beyond the village limits stands
an imposing mansion, surrounded by
many acres of beautiful grounds that in
years gone by were veritable paradise,
so perfect were they kept in point of
landscape gardening. The house stands
back about mile from the highway on
an eminence that rises gradually from
S~tne entrance to the magnificent avenue
leading to il. There was period when
Heathdale presented the picture of ami
mated life, guests by the score could be
on the great lawns of greensward, the
merry shouts of children echoed
through the grove, while from the ada.
cent copsewood the hunters horn was
regularly sounded and the noisy hounds
rushed frantically to the chase. The
broad verandas of the mansion at night
were resplendent with elegant costumes,
worn by people of wealth and rank,
while within the gorgeous drawing
rooms were brilliantly illumined. In
those days the name of Heath.
dale was symbolical with grandeur,
splendid banquets, lovely, voluptuous
women, noble men and the creme de Ia
creme of English society. Sir Charles
Heath was a man of the world, passion
ately foud of social distinction, and pos
sibly vain of his magnificent estate and
the universal admiration bestowed upon
it by his guests. Being an only son he
was nurtured as tenderly as q flower
and as he approached manhood he was
taught to look upon Heathdale as his
own and with it all the power and aris.
tocratic bearing such passions implied.
The first lady Heath, his mother, died
when he was child, and Sir Charles,
his father, lavished his whole love upon
this cherished son, the only remaining
member Of the family. The son inher-
tied all the naughty mien and intelli.
gence of his race, and acquitted himself
,creditably at Oxford. He was handsome
almost to q fault, and his commanding
presence inspired that Difference and re.
spe,t which he invariably expected even
from his most intimate associates. Many
were the snares laid out for him by de-
signing mothers and fair young women,
but he was alike implacable to them all,
and when in his twenty.third year his
father died. Sir Charles was unmarried
and came into possession of Heathdale
without wife for his palatial home and
no prospect of an heir, as the Heath
family were nearly extinct in the direct
line of male descendants. 1t was during
the following three years that Heath.
dale presented the life and gayety pre-.
viously mentioned, and Sir Charles found
the grand old house a delightful home
when filled with guests, though rather
monotonous when left to himself and
servants. About four years after his
fathers death Sir Charles planned an ex.
tended tour of the American continent,
and Heathdale was closed to the world
and left in charge of an ,old family but
Ter.
Sir Charles sailed for New York and
nothing was heard from him for several
months, aside from an occasional letter
to his solicitors in London. A year
passed and still Sir Charles did not re.
turn, and Heathdale began to assume a
neglected appearance. Anxious friends
called upon his solicitors tor news, but
PkSu vain; the last letter received from
Sir Charles was from British Columbia
in the tenth month of his absence, in
which he stated that he probably would
sv,t tho RI uvIfh
tress for Heathdale. Five years passed
and communication with the absent one
had entirely ceased, in fact, he was lost
| to his friends and to the world. His
solicitors advertised everywhere for in.
upon the mystery, and as time rolled on
Sir Charles Heath was forgotten by his
associates, and Heathdale, fast going to
destruction for the want OF proper atten
ton, finally found its way into chancery.
After all these years the solicitor in
London has obtained faint clew to the
mystery Of Sir Charles. disappearance,
and to fully investigate the matter an
agent was sent to this province to find
the heir to the Heath property. From
\ this gentleman's version it appears evi
dent that the missing heir is now in
British Columbia unconscious of his iden.
tity. Sir Charles visited British Colum.
bia in the year 1858, and being fond of
hunting and adventure, sought the wild
est spots for sport in the Selkirk range
with small hunting party. His COM
pauions were Americans, and not wish.
ING to be received with that indescriba.
bic feeling of distance which title plac-
az between man and man even under the
-. L.
the Sir from his name, concealed his real
identity, and was known to his compan-
ions as plain Charlie Heath. jovial,
kind.hearted fellow, brimful of racy rem
iniscences of travel, and generous to
IN II ,uo, ahout this periOd that the