The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-09-19
Heirs to Manv Millions

!
Dispatches recently from Logansporr
gave an account of the claim made
4 by q colored family named Talbot, the
descendants OF an old slave who settled
years ago in Indiana to square mile o.
land in the center of the city of Logans
port, worth millions of dollars. This
claim, it is said, has been so well estab
lished that large railroad corporations
/ interested have already agreed to pay
! $5,000,00O for quit claims. The Cincin
natl Commercial Gazette of Monday
gives the following detains of the case
| Some fifty-three years ago Benjamin
Talbot, colored man, left Yellow
/ Springs, Ky, with Squire McBane and
/ his family, as they had planned to make
u settlement at some point in Indiana
The country at that time was a wild
wilderness, and the entire journey was
made in a covered wagon. 1t took them
several weeks to reach the place, where
they finally bought land at a govern
! ment sale and built their log cabins on
the identical spot where the flourishing
city of Logansport is now situated. Tai
bott was bound OUT by his master
until he was of age, and during that
period he learned the trade of black
| smith. When the time of his service
! expired he decided to embrace the oppor-
tunity and emigrate to some Northern
State, where he would be free from the
shackles of slavery. Squire Bane aided
him in his flight, and when Indiana was
reached he lent him assistance in pro-
viding for himself home. In the course
OF few years Talbot had secured pos
session of some six hundred acres of land
which at that time was covered with
dense woods. He reared a family of
nj, II I IL q
more than twenty years. In 1857 the
fugitive slave law was passed, and fear
ing that he might be taken back again
into bondage he left his worldly possess
ions and fled with his family into Can
ada, as did many other colored people
who were at the time in Northern States
He remained across the border until the
emancipation proclamation afforded him
an opportunity to return unmOlested to
the States. He was still afraid to ven
ture back to his home in Indiana, and
for several years he was located at De-
trolt, but later removed to Toledo, where
ne died some seventeen years ago. His
family, which had been reduced to six
children -four boys and two girls soon
become separated, but two of the sons
located at Rochester, Ind
The children knew that their father
had owned property in Indiana, as he
had often told them of his experience
and the manner in which he had secured
possession of the land, but still they
never dreamed that it could be recovered
in any way. David Talbot was one of
the family who made his home at Roches-
ter, and his wife frequently made visits
to this city, where she had relatives and
friends, While returning to her home
from one of her trips to Cincinnati, she
by the merest accident, met colored
minister who had known her father-in-
law intimately when he lived at Logans-
port. He conveyed to her the informal
ton that the land which Talbot had
purchased more than a half century ago
was now in the centre of Furnishing
town and also intersected by various
lines OF railroads. She was advised by
her newly-found friend to notify her
husband of this astounding fact, and it
was further suggested by him that they
institute proceedings to establish their
claim to that which was undoubtedly
their own. Mrs Talbot acted promptly
on this advice, and the result was the
employment of Congressman Hill, of
Defiance, Ohio, and Mr.. Holland, an at
torney of Paulding, Ohio, to take charge
of the matter These gentlemen went
quietly to Logansport and instituted a
The fact was readily developed that the
Talbot heirs were the legal owners of
the property
The Wabash and the Eel River rail
roads cross the property, which is also
occupied by their buildings and numer-
GUS side tracks. These companies were
the first to be informed of the develop
ments that had been made by the inyes-
tigation of the Talbot claims The
legal advisers for the two companies
went over the records with the attorneys
for the Talbot estate, and proofs of the
claim were found to be indisputable.
This resulted in compromise, by which
the Talbot heirs were to receive SIS ,000,-
900 from the two railroad companies
alone, exclusive of other property, the
total value of which has not been deter
mined. This settlement is to be made
on September IS by mutual agreement
The whereabouts of all the members
of the scattered family have been dis
covered with the exception of one, Hen
ry, the oldest son, and for whom a dill
gent search has been instituted. For a
number of years it is known that he was
located in Cincinnati and on last Thurs
day one of the daughters, Mrs Lucinda
Lantham, came to this city, accompanied
by her husband, to learn if possible,
something of his whereabouts. She has
been stopping with Mr. Howard Black,
at 245 Plum street
A Commercial Gazette reporter called
upon her last night. She was neatly
dressed and is colored woman of unu-
alintelligence. At first she manifested
some reluctance in speaking of the mat
ter, but was finally induced to detail the
story of the hunt for the missing brother,
and also related the incidents relative to
the history of the property and it's re-
covery. She said that they had been
making a long hunt for her brother, but
that she was afraid thai he was dead.
On Saturday she learned that there was
colored man at the city intirmary by
the name Of Talbot, but an investiga-
! ton yesterday proved that he was not
| the one sought for. Last night she re-
ceivcd information that he had gone tC
! Danville, KY, three or four years ago
! 1t has been more than fourteen years
since she has seen the missing brother
1T is very important that we should fine
him." she said, ''for if he is not on hand
when the settlement is made he may ex
perience some trouble in securing his
share of the money!
"How much do you expect to realize
from the claim p
1.-THE attorneys have told us that we
would each get about 100000. They
said we couldn't spend the interest OF
the money in q year, no matter how ex
travagant we might be-"
''How does it come that the matter ha
never been made public -
"Our lawyers wanted the matter to b.
kept secret until everything had beer
properly adjusted"
"You have been furnished money t.
hunt your brother, have your"
II haven't experienced any trouble OF
that score. All concerned in the case ar
anxious that he should be found. NJ,
brother Henry is forty-seven years Q
the family, my sister being his senio
by some three years. He is the only on
of the children who has never been MAJ
ried''