The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-26
MISS wARREN's 100000.
A Rich Inventor Leaves His Fortune
to the Girl He Was to Marry.

TO the G1rl de was TO marry.
Fl ON the Philadelphia Record.
The peculiar bequst Of John II. Irwin has
opened the way to story full of romance.
A rich inventor dies suddenly, his relatives
and many friends attend the funeral. the
body is laid to rest in beautiful cemetery,
and then everybody is astonished when a
pretty girl, % years old, produces a will
giving to her all of an immense property,
valued at about $500, 900. This girl, too
lives 900 miles away. This Is the story in
brief of the death and bequest of John II.
Irwin the inventor.
The life of Inventor Irwin was an eventful
one. He was a son of David H. Irwin, now
resident in Beardstown ILL.,. and was born
in Trenton, n. j., June 8, 1889.
William BIrchall, brother of John H.
Ir WINS mother, was state printer of
Illinois, and John was apprenticed at the
printing business. Although he soon learned
to set his stick of type in decent time. he
became restless, and after two years went
home. Then the young man had already
begun to show his inventive genius. He was
always working at some odd but impractic-
able affair, until his father suggested to
him one day that he ought to do something
practical, something which would bring
money into the family Golfer, which
was at the time yawning in emptiness,
The father told him that lamps and Ian
terms would go out if dropped or lowered
suddenly or affected by strong draught,
and ad vised him to go to work on a lantern
which would not go out if moved rapidly
up and down. John went out to the tool
house and set to work. 1t required only
three days for the invention Of the tn bular
hot-blast lantern, which subsequently
brought John A. Irwin $4,000 year in
royalties John rushed into the. storytelling,
"pve got it," and he swung his model Ian
tern up and down fiendishly, without being
able to extinguish it.
The father then gave John money to go to
Chicago and remain there until he could
| secure the cooperation of capitalists, who
would push his invention on the market.
A patent was taken out a beautiful model
| made, and the start was finally secured.
This was the beginning of Twins successful
career. The war, however, began at this
| period, ana adventurous John forgot mis-
invention and his manufacturing company
and enlisted in the navy. For four years
he served Uncle Sam under the union Jack
| When peace came he returned home to
| Philadelphia to find that his tubular lamp
| had become popular and was bringing in
| big returns. After looking about for a few
years, visiting his father and calling upon
| his uncle Blrchall, at Springfield, ILL.,, he
| finally decided to buy land at Morton, in
| Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and estab-
| llsh Il scientific laboratory and machine
| shop. For few dollars per acre he bought
laud which is now valued at from 81, 900 to
| 5000 an acre. There he has lived for nine
teen years, surrounded by magnificent
| estate of l40 acres, on which is a fine brick
| mansion, situated in well arranged grounds
| and a well filled laboratory, machine shop
and gas house, where he has labored with
wonderful persistence in perfecting about
| 200 different inventions.
John H. Irwin was Morton's chief citizen.
| He established a Protestant Episcopal
church, though himself an atheist. He laid
! out streets, erected and maintained street
lamps, established newspaper, encouraged
| a public library, and was ever ready to aid
every worthy movement. His inventions
have in late years been principally con-
nected with electrical appliances. He was
| at the time of his death drawing $4,000 a
! year from the Western Electrical Company
of Chicago for telephone Improvement an
the Bell instrument This will continue for
| three years.
| Mr. Irwin was accustomed to visit his
| father and his Illinois relatives annually
| He was twice married, but each wife died
soon. He had no children. His last wife
| died in the fall of 1888. Since that time he
| has been devoted to the young lady to
whom he has left his handsome property.
| She is Miss Lillian Warren of Sprinfield.
Ill. Her mother was a Birchall, daughter
| of the Sprlntield printer, who befriended
Irwin in early life. Irwin visited them
several times, and she has annually spent a
mouth or two in Morton.
Last fall Mr. and Mrs. Warren, with
their daughter, spent two months at IT.
wins house. When they went home in
October Irwin went With them and re-
NAMED week in Springfield. 1t was dur
ing this visit that he is said to have engaged
himself to marry Miss Lillian, who is a
beautiful girl of % years, with q sweet face.
golden hair aud large blue eyes. When he
came home from Illinois in November he
wrote the will which has created such a
stir.
This will is in his own handwriting. on a
sheet Of notepaper. His gives his whole
property, real and personal, TO his "af-
flanced," Miss Lillian Warren Of Spring
| field, Ill. Conditions are added as follows:
She is 20 see that his father David II. IT.
win, now resident in Beardsto wn, H., is al
way enabled TO live In comfort, as he is
now accustomed 10. She is 10 maintain
George, Lucy and Ethel Turner. bis nephew
and nieces, living In PHILADELPHIA, until
each of them is 81 years oil, when she
will give each 81, 900. All p evious wills
are revoked, and the statement is made that
he writes this new one because the last pre-
ceding will had been torn ard mutilated by
some malicious person. Miss Warren il
required u give no hood 10 execute the
provisions. On June .. John H. Irwin,