Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-08-08
A Romance in Real Life.


One Of the most celebrated viii eases
that have ever been tried in the United
States was the one tried in San Francisco
last week, and the decision If the Court
awards the estate Of Thomas II. Blythe.
deed. valued at four millions Of dollars, 10
his natural daughter By an English wsr
man.
The contestants were Florence Blythe,
Alice Edith Dickson, alleged widow Of
Blythe; the Williams heirs of Liverpool;
the Blythe Company, the Gipsy Blythes,
the Savages, of London; the Scotch Irish
Savages, James Witt pearce and William
and David Savage. The Courts opinion
held that according to the laws of the
State Florence had established her claim
to Blythe's paternity, the latter having
acknowledged her as his child.
The central figure in the Blythe contest
was Florence, who was born at No. 10 St.
Charles street, London, 1873 She il now
slender girl Of medium heighth, and well
educated for one OF her age. She resembles
her father and has peculiar expression on
her countenance which lends strange
charm to her appearance.
She is natural child, her mother having
yielded to the millionaire under promise of
marriage. Blythe met Julia Ascraft
while on visit to England. She was
then young girl aud quite pretty. When
Blythe departed for America he left nete
requesting Julia To name the child
Vernon if boy; Florry if girl The
child when born, was christened Flor
encc
When Blythe was informed of the little
girls birth he manifested deep interest in
her He told number of his friends that
he was her father, md whenever he spoke
Of the girl it was with expressions Of aifec-
tion. When she was old enough to write
she corresponded with her father, and his
replies indicated that he was foad of her,
and intended to bring her TO America TO
preside over his home.
At the time Of his death he was prepar-
ing plans for residence on the banks of
the Colorado, where he expected to live
with Florence's mother and the girl.
Florence Blythe was one of about 200
claimants of the estate. The girls story
was apparently without flaw, and strong
evidence in the form of letters and other
documents was introduced to substanciate
it. She is a comely girl and has through
out the trial enjoyed much of the public's
sympathy.
Probably no man was ever credited with
more birthplaces or had more obscure
history than Blythe. He lived in San
Francisco for over thirty years, accumulat-
ed vast fortune, was known as widely as
any other rich man, and when he died no
one could write an authentic biography Of
him. His estate was large, no one of in
disputable relationship to him was known,
no will could be found.
Claimants for the property, which passed
into the charge of the public administrator
came forward by the dozen. Each set of
claimants has traced his descent in differ
ent way from the other. None of them,
however, agreed to his nativity or parent
age. He arrived in San Francisco on
August 5, 1S49, and soon after, according
to the recollection of parties who knew
him, began raising vegetables in South
San Francisco
Later he peddled fancy goods and no.
tions on the streets, by which he accumu-
lated few hundred dollars. Most of this
sum be loaned on q triangular piece of
property bounded Market, Grand avenue
and Geary street.
The money was not repaid, the mort
gage was forclosed, and Blythe came into
possession of the property. Though it
proved the foundation of his vast wealth
he was not ioresighted enough to see its
| value then, and the late millionaire James
Dick, who was then also paving this way
to fortune, to take the property off his
hands. The sudden growth Of the town
increased the value Of the land, and now it
is in the heart of the city, worth many mil
lions Of dollars and yielding a monthly in
come of about 1000.
| In addition to this this the estate in
cludes about so, 600 acres in Southern Cali
| iornia, u grant of about $50, 900 acres in
| Mexico, three fourths interest in grant
of i, 100 600 acres also in Mexico, property
in Ogden and large holdings in Arazona
mines 1t is all worth $4,000 900 or
! more
| Blythe was never married, though, like
/ Senator Sharon, he had "a penchant for
pretty women, and this trait has brought
prominently into the foreground two of the
contestants-one the woman with whom
he associated up to the time of his death,
and the 9th er the girl who is now declared
his heir.
Following the claim of the little girl was
that of Alice Edith Diekerson, or as she
now chooses to style herself, Mrs. Blythe.
She first met Blythe seven or eight years
before his death, and was then poor ar
tist The millionaire befriended her, and
their acquaintance grew till his home was
hers. After his death Edith spent great
deal of money and so gave herself up to Ii
quor that she was for time confined in an
asylum. In presenting her case the wo-
man brought forward several witnesses,
who swore she had been introduced as
Mrs. Blythe. No mari age certificate,
however, or even contract was brought
TO light.
The most interesting claimants were
those who cndeayored to prove that Blythe
was Scottish Gipsy, direct descendant
of Jean Gordon, a character made famous
by Walter Scott. According to the evi-
dence it was pure romance blood that
coursed through his veins. In his heart he
was proud that he belonged to the race,
but the prejudices of the world caused him
to keep the secret to himself. He was
born about 1892 in some Gypsy camp in
one of the border counties of Scotland.
His father was Adam Blythe, and his
mother Elizabeth Savage, known among
her people as Betty Savage.
Paper in JaDan.