St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-04
THIERY's IMMENSE ESTATE.
No Chance of American Heir.
Ever Getting a Cent OF Those
Millions

No Chance of American Heirs
Ever Getting a Cent OF Those
Millions.
peIs inform us that a certain Jacob
Pau, tin and stone merchant, and
Daniel Wolff, china and tea merchant
of Cincinnati, and Charles Francis de
Thiery, of Brooklyn, mechanic, each
claims an inheritance of $1,000, 900,
which has lain in the state Golfers of
the French government since the be-
ginning of the century. The story of
this inheritance has been told inaccu-
rately.
1t must. in the first place, be said that
at the present moment and for several
years past hundreds of claims similar
to that of the Brooklyn and Cincinnati
claimants have been laid before the
French government. In the course Of
the year 1889 the French chamber of dep
uties received several petitions con-
nected with this inheritance, and on the
following basis: One Jean Thery, a
native of Chateau Thiery. died in Ven
ice in the year 1876. He left consigned
to the bank of that town sum of $780,
600 in ''ecuS la CrOix," or about TO-
600, 600 of francs. which he inherited by
the will of certain Eifaldi. He ap-
pointed as his heirs the issue of his
fathers brothers. That succession re-
NAMED in a state of escheat, although
the Republic of Venice did not dispute
the obligations of surrendering the
money to the rightful heirs, because no
claimant could prove his rights thereto.
notwithstanding the countenance and
help of the French government.
In the year 1871 the matter was
brought before the constituent assem-
bly,, which referred it to the court of
justice of the department of the Seine,
but no one could prove to that court
that he was the lawful heir.
In 1897 Gen. Bonaparte, during the
italian campaign, claimed from the
Venetian republic the funds belonging
to the Thiery inheritance, which he lib
orally estimated at 100000. The re-
public refused; but shortly afterwards
Venice fell into the hands of the
French, and Bonaparte laid hold of all
the funds deposited in the state bank.
Naturally enough during the empire
the Thiery funds were never spoken of.
AT the time of the restoration fresh
claims were put forward by the heirs,
or alleged heirs, of the Thiery estate.
Those claims were all rejected by the
court; one only was accepted. A judy
lllcilj VI lilC COull aO ltOhlil octlCQ
May 10, 1854, recognized Nine. Cotton
as descending from Claude Thiery, one
of the brothers of the millionaire, Jean
Thiery'S father. In spite of that decis-
ion, however, Nine. Cotton dragged her
case from court to court without being
able to obtain the slightest satisfaction.
In order to bring about solution to
this interminable affair certain deputies
moved resolution to the effect of grant
ing the claimant an indemnity of 100000
francs, in consideration of which she
should surrender all claims to the inner
itance.
The ground upon which Nine. Cot
toms claim was legally founded was as
follows: The original sum of money
owing to the heirs Thiery was deposit;
a deposit is not subject TO the laws of
prescription; in taking possession of
this deposit the French treasury consti-
tnted itself the negotiorum gestor of the
Thiery heirs: it has continued to hold
the money by virtue of the same title as
the Bank of Venice, and it could no