The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-21
FORTUNES UNCLAIMED.
Millions OF Dollars Awaiting Their
OwnorS.
How Money Which Belongs to Und,scov-
crcd uoirs Accumulntcs In the
Hands of State Trcns-
urcrs.


crs in this country awaiting tho claim
OF legal heirs. This largo amount, says
tho New York Telegram, has boon do
posted with tho trcasurcrs from timo
to timo by public administrators. or
this $4,000, 900 tho Now York State
Treasurer has about $3.50, 600, and
although he pays out now and then Ger
tilted claims from tho administrative
fund it keeps steadily increasing in q
ratio with the population of tho State.
Tho public administrator of Brooklyn
furnishes tho following cases from his
record books:
Thomas Wilson sold newspapers in
Drooklyn's Twentieth ward for gen
Grafton. Ills route was an aristocratic
ono, comprising such streets as Clinton
and Clermont avenues, in which arc tho
homes of millionaires. Ho pcddlcd his
wares In all Sorts of weather, appeared
on the streets In rain and shine every
day and far into the night, and even
mado fecblo attempt to brave tho fury
of the big blizzard Of March IL, 1883
He had no friends, no conildants, no as
sociations, and he lodged in the attic Of
miserable tenement house. One day
in tho spring, last year, his legs refused
to carry him along his route, and no
went for succor and shelter to tho
brooklyn hospital. Here he was warned
that he had but short time 20 live and
was told to communicate with his
friends if no had any. Old Tom shook
his head negatively and died that night
without making sign. Five bank
books wero found under his pillow,
showing $4,000 or $4,000 to his credit in
different institutions. Tho admins
traitor could learn nothing about him in
the banks, where no had told differ
ent stories about himself. 1t is thought
he was of Swedish origin and that his
real namo was Nilsen, not Wilson.
Thon, thcro was Joseph Langlcr, q
namc common enough in tho south Of
France, in Marseillcs, especially. Lang
lcr was also solitary man, livinG-or,
rather, grubbing-in an Atlantic avenue
CARROT. lie paid tho janitor 81 month
for his miserable room. IIc went out
and camo in, spoke to nobody and an
swcred questions by shaking or nodding
his head. Ono day no went forth for
next corner, was taken into saloon,
Long Island College hospital, whcrc ho
died after few hours. In tho pockets
of his coat were found bonds, mortgages
and bank books, worth $1,000 to tho
owner; also will drawn up in excellent
legal phraseology and written in a beau
tiful hand. His signature was affixed
to tho will, but it lacked tho names of
witnesses. So careful had no been in
preparing tho instrument that he added
an explanatory paragraph, underlined
in rcd ink. In 4 codicil he rovolses tho
will, SO that he really died intcstate
Eumor says LanGlcr's heir is Il nephew
livingin Marseillcs, Il sisters son, whom,
if the administrator could locate, would
inherit 317, 900, with ono years interest.
William Cato is another of tho great
intcstates for whose heirs tho admins
traitor is looking. Cato was no tramp or
ncws-vcndcr. lie was marine in tho
service Of tho United States, and had
been ono for such length Of timc that
no had only Vague memory of what
ho had been before. His comrades
had an idca that he was Scotch,
and that is all they could tell
about him. IIo diod suddenly last
spring, whilo still in tho service,
leaving ono thousand dollars or so no
had saved out Of his small pay. 1t is
probable that an old woman living in
Wigtonshirc, Scotland, may DO found
with valid claims to this ono thousand
dollars.
Patrick Gresham lived on Third ave-
nue., near Forty-sixth street, South
brooklyn, and was in good .circum-
stances. His vito died in tho spring of
1880, and tho loss drove him crazy.
week later no committed suicide. He
loft good deal of property, to which his
littlo four-ycar-old daughter was heircss.
His father well-to-do New York car
riage builder, was tho legal guardian of
tho little girl, but there happened just
then to DO in the house o sister of tho
phild's mother. Shc was on n visit from
ireland, and had ART yed just in time to
sec her sister die. Tho night of tho day
Gresham committed suicide tho aunt
took tho little girl stealthily out Of her
bed and out Of tho house, wont over to
Now York, and on tho morning follow
ing sailed for Queenstown in tho UNI
bria. Mr.. Gresham, tho uncle and legal
guardian, reported tho theft to tho
police and they cablcd to Queenstown to
have tho aunt arrested on her arrival in
that port. Now, it happened that, ow-
ing to great storm, tho Urnbria could
not put in ut Queenstown, and so went
directly on to Liverpool whore no police
were waiting for u handsome lady of tho
namo Of Crowo and her four-year-old
niece. Miss Grove and tho child arc
still in Europe, and tho legal fight has
not yet boon decided.
Opals from American hfinos.
The discovery OF paving OPAL mines In