The Dickinson press., 1891-01-10
UNCLAIMED MILLIONS.

UNCLAIMED MILLIONS.
FORTUNES IN THE HANDS OF PUB
Llc ADMINISTRATORS.
Strange Searches for Heirs to Largo
Fortunes In Brooklyn-A Strange Dis
appearauce-Tho Fund in Charge of
the State Treasurers Keeps increasing.
Speaking roughly there is at the pres
ent time over s., 100000 in hard cash in
the hands of the various state treasurers
in this country awaiting the claim of
legal heirs. This large amount has been
deposited with the treasurers from time
to time by public administrators. Of
this S. 900, 900 the New York state treas
urer has about $3.50, 900, and although
he pays out now and then certified claims
from the administrative fund it keeps
steadily increasing in a ratio with the
population of the state.
The public administrator of Brooklyn
furnishes tho following cases from his
record books:
Thomas Wilson sold newspapers i'll
Brooklyn's Twentieth ward for gcner-
alton. His route was an aristocratic
one, comprising such streets as Clinton
and Clermont avenues, in which are the
homes of millionaires. He peddled his
wares in all sorts of weather, appeared
on the streets in rain and shine every
day and far into tho night, and even
made feeble attempt to brave the fury
of the big blizzard of March 12, 1888.
He had no friends, no conddants, no as
sociations, and he lodged in the attic of
a miserable tenement house. One day
in the spring of 1889 his legs refused to
carry him along his route, and he went
for succor and shelter to the Brooklyn
hospital.
Here he was warned that he had but a
short time to live and was told to COM
municate with his friends, if he had
any. Old Tom shook his head negatively
and died that night without making a
sign. Five bank books were found under
his pillow, showing three or four thou
sand dollars to his credit in different in
stitutions. The administrator could learn
nothing about him in the banks, where
he had told different stories about HIM
self. tits thought he was Of Swedish
origin and that his real name was Mil
son, not Wilson.
THE CASE OF LANG1ER.
Then there was Joseph Langier, a
name common enough in the south of
France, in Marseilles especially. Langier
was also a solitary man, living-or,
rather, grubbing-in an Atlantic avenue
garret. He paid the janitor u dollar Il
month for his miserable room. He went
out and he came in, spoke to nobody and
answered questions by shaking OF nod
ding his head. One day he went forth
for the last time-staggered and fell at
the next corner, was taken into u saloon,
thence conveyed in an ambulance to
Long Island College hospital, where he
died after few hours.
In the pockets of his coat were found
bonds, mortgages and bank books worth
$4,000 to the owner, also Il will drawn
up in excellent legal phraseology and
written in a beautiful hand. His sigma
ture was affixed to the will, but it lacked
the names of witnesses. SO careful had
he been in preparing the instrument
that he affixed an explanatory parl-
graph, underlined in red ink. In IL codi-
Gil he revokes tho will, SO that he really
died intestate. Rumor says Langier's
heir is nephew living i'll Marseilles, Il
sisters son, whom, if the administrator
could locate, would inherit $1,000
William Cato is another of the great
intestate for whose heirs the admins
traitor is looking. Cato was 10 tramp Or
news vender. He was a marine in the
service of the United States. and had
been one for such Il length of time that
he had only vague memory of what he
had been before. His comrades had an
idea that he was Scotch, and that is all
they could tell about him. He died sud
denly while still in the service, leaving
s., 600 or SO he had saved out of his small
pay.
Patrick Gresham lived on Third ave-
nue., near Forty-sixth street, South
Brooklyn, and was in good circum-
stances. His wife died in the spring of
1889, and the loss drove him crazy. A
week later he committed suicide. He
left a good deal of property to which his
little 4-year-old daughter was heiress.
His brother, well to do New York car
riage builder, was the legal guardian of
the little girl, but there happened just
then to be in the house a sister of the
cllild's mother. She was Oh visit from
Ireland, and had arrived just in time to
see her sister die. The night of the day
Gresham committed suicide the aunt
took the little girl stealthily out of her
bed and out of the house, went over to
New York, and on the morning follow
ing sailed for Queenstown in the Um-
bria. Mr.. Gresham, the uncle and legal
guardian, reported the theft to the po-
lice, and they cabled to Queenstown to
have the aunt arrested on her arrival in
that port. Now, it happened that owing
to great storm the Umbria could not
put in at Queenstown, and SO went di
rectly on to Liverpool, where no police
were waiting for a handsome lady of the
name of Miss Grove and her 4-year-oli
niece. Miss Grove and the child are
still in Europe, and the legal tight ha
not yet been decided.-New York Tele
Horse Sense vs.. Fashion.
McAllister-I noticed you kept you
front blinds open all the summer
Going out of society?
Smith-Nc; but we concluded that al
the people we really cared to have thinl
ns out of town were out of town them
selves.-Puck.
England's Tastc in Smoking.
The English cigars are made of Amer
ican tobacco, but fail in manipulation
according to our standard. They lool
bright and wooden" rather than like
natural leaf product. When cigars wer
introduced into England they all cam
from Cuba, and this being before tn
days Of steam tho poods xyera G,,