The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-29
HEIRS TO MILLIONS IN TEXAS.
After a Three Years search the Lucky
Ones Have Been Discovered.

After Three Years search the Lucky
Ones Have Been Discovered
WASHINGTON, Sept. 2S-Newspaper read =
ers will recall the publication, some years
ago, OF the statement that Thomas Bean
had died In Texas, lelving au estate sup
posed TO be worth something like SIC, ,0OO, 900,
the only heirs thereto being some distant
relatives, thought TO be living in Washing
ton and vicinity. After three years OF dill
gent searching the heirs have been found in
Washington and Virginia, and half of the
princely estate of S00, 900 acres of the finest
lands in the counties OF Grayson, Fannin
and vicinity In Eastern Texas, is TO be
divided among the twenty-one prominent
w ashingtonians, the other half to go to the
Virginia branch of the family.
Mrs. Sallie Dave of this city will Inherit
one eighth of the estate, or one-fourth of
the Washington heirs half; Mrs Wilkins.
wife OF Col. John ID. Wilkins of the United
States army, now residing here; Miss 4.
Middleton, Mrs. William Il. Howard, Mrs
Samuel Bacon and sixteen members of the
Bean family, all in Washington, more or
less distantly related to the Texan Monte
Cristo, will divide the remainder amonx
them. The Land is worth from $l0 to S22
per acre, some in the suburbs of the town OF
Bonham being more valuable 30
The story is romantic one, the first
chapter being laid in the year 1919, when
Col. Collamere Bean of Washington aloped
with Miss Winfred Murray, the daughter of
an old Virginia family. The parents of the
young lady had discountenanc9d ID the young
mans attention to the daughter, 50 he
boldly carried her away from the Old
Dominion homestead, and pushing post
haste for Washington, married her In Christ
Episcopal church, which yet stands on
anfk h khA h III r..
being just ss they were then.
The young couple never obtained the pa
rental forgiveness, so they settled down
here and lived peaceful NE. The result
of that union was four children, one OF
them being Thomas Bean. When this child
attained his manhood he grew restless under
the cramped surroundings of Washington
and pushed out boldly for the west. For
many years he was lost sight Of, although
he is now Co memory dear in the hearts of
his hopeful heirs. About three years ago
local paper printed telegram from Bon
ham relating the demise of Thomas Bean.
and the rumor that bis only supposed heirs
lived in Washington.
The supposed heirs. relatives of the miss
ing Thomas Bean, Immediately went to
work to ascertain If the Texan was their
long-lost kinsman. They traced Thomas
Bean first to Virginia, then to PALMYRA.
49, W 10Y OVooshiCf ht anu nuallJ W
Bonham, Tex, where. through the medium
of bis Masonic connections, his identity was
established with the deceased kinsman. 1t
seems the young man, after drifting to
Texas, became a surveyor, and by thrift
and speculation amassed the immense tracts
of land referred TO.
Then followed three years of harassing
litigation, some pretenders of the legacy Ia
Tennessee and other places making a strong
effort TO establish their claims upon the
estate The w ashingtonians had the lead
however, and after fighting the case Stub
bornly through several courts, nave now by
receut decision established their case.
Thomas Bean died without children, and
the Texas law provides that in such a case
the estate shall revert to the decsaSed's re-
latives, who are, Of course, the Beans upon
his fathers side and the Murrays Of Vir-
ginfa upon his mothers.
The decision rendered In the case by
Judge e. l.. Agnew, at Bonham, last week,
places the estate In the hands of two admin
istrators. DIR. II. p Howard and Joel Hume,
who will make division Of the SIC, 600 900
Dropertv Wi thin a vear