Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-12-24
Z 80
CASTLES IN TIE AIR.
a Fraudulent ns.lt watch Amorio,ns 4
IN

!
lr0ne to swallow.
| It would seem, after all tho publicity
given to the scheme In the papers
throughout the country. that few por-
sons would indulge in the chimera OF
obtaining part or a whole Of tho es-
tates said to be held unclaimed In the
courts OF England. Circulars to the e.
tect That moro than half q billion OF
dollars in unclaimed estates are await
Ing the rightful heirs In England, Scot
land. Wales and Ireland continue to DO
scattered broadcast through this cou n
try, and there Is an agency in New York
employing men to promote Just such
schemes.
There Is something alluring in this
little paragraphs: thousands of heirs
! bDye Deybr seoD lbego QjVorti4o10onta
| II your ancestors on your fathers or
your mothers side came from any Of tho
above-named countries, do not fail to
send tho ances trial name and ascertain
If You are an hoir. Your deceased an
cestors' rights are yours by British law.
we have Information Of every esta to
| and deceased persons whose heirs have
been advertised for in 1a5 years. Send
postal note for twenty-five cents to in
sure information. II you are an heir
we will recover tho estate for you No
| recovery, no fee"
1t must have been this circular which
caused Miss C. II. Clopton, OF Colum ba,
Tenn, to address tho agency in this
city for information concerning q sup
posed Drake estate in England, to which
she believed she was an hoir. In reply
she was told that Mrs. s. III. Redfeld.
of Edwards, Miss, and Mrs. r. v. Donel-
son, OF Lexington, Holmes County,
| Miss, had hlea Chains to tho estate, and
then the ingeniously'worded letter sug-
| gested to her that she might be permit
| ted to enter the lists with the others
consent. Continuing, it said: Our
one per cent. OF tho amount gained. II
we gain nothing we get nothing. And
! IL we have to assume the costs, ten dol
! lars Of our fee in advance as a small
guarantee of good faith"
The meat Of the nut IS in the last
! sentence. The circular distinctly
states: mo recovery, no fee."
Miss Clopton replied to this letter in
effect that her Uncle Elijah knew moth
ing about Mrs. Redheld or Mrs. Donel-
! son. In a letter of the date Of October
20 she received this brief communica-
ton. "ln replying to your favor OF Oc-
tober II we beg to say that Mrs. Red
field has accepted our terms, and suit is
now pending in her behalf"
For the benefit of Miss Clopton and
others who fancy that they arc within
one step Of wealth, the letter OF the Sec.
! Rotary Of the United States Legation in
London, bearing the date of April 10,
1887, and addressed to person inquir.
Ing about the Sands estate, may be of
| some benefit: II beg to inform you that
there is no such estate as the ono you
| mention. Vast numbers of people In
our country are deceived and defra uded
by designing persons, who represen,
| that great estates are awaiting Ameri-
can claimants here, whereas there arc
none such"
Again. September 10. 1857. de]uded
person in Massachusetts, who thought
he was an heir to the Lawrence-Town-
lev estate, received letter OF caution,
this time the advice coming from Min.
ster Phelps in which he said: "a worse
fraud was never attempted. There is
| not a pretense Of foundation for it, in
fact, 1t is simply device for obtain.
ing money by false pretenses from the
! cred ulous. IN Y. Times.