The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-06-13

AFTER a FRENCH FORTUNE.
American Heirs Seeking Millions That
Have Lain Idle for Two Centuries.

II
American Heirs Seeking Millions That
| Have Lain Idle for Two Centuries.
| American claimants to great Euro
pean fortunes are getting more nrner-
| GUS from year to year. The latest case,
| saws the Chicago Post, is that of three
| men who seek to obtain possession OF a
sum of i've million dollars which has
been in the hands of the French govern
nent since the time Of the great Napo-
leon. They are Charles Francis de
Thiery. of Brooklyn. Jacob Pau, OF
Cincinnati, and Daniel Wolf, of the
same city, and they claim to be the
heirs Of one Jean Thiery, of Chateau
Thiery: who died in Venice in 1916. He
left in the bank Of Venice eight hun
ired thousand 'secus q la croiz," Or
about ten million francs, which he left
to the descendants of his fathers
brothers. The Venetian republic re-
fused payment of the money OH the
ground that the numerous claimants
had not satisfactorily proved their de-
scent and it remained in the bank until
Venice was captured by the French
Napoleon seized ell the money in the
bank and during his lifetime there was
no use attempting to dispute his action.
At the time Of the restoration fresh
claims We're put forward by the heirs,
Or alleged heirs, Of the Thiery estate
Those claims were all rejected by the
courts: one only excepted. A Judgment
Of the court at Renlire1nont dated May
Is, 1854, recognized Mime. Cotton as de-
scending from Claude Thiery. one Of the
brothers Of the millionaire, Jean
Thiery's father. In spite Of that deci-
sion. however. Mime. Cotton dragged
her case from court to court Without
being able to obtain the slightest salts
faction In order to bring about solu-
ton to this interninable affair, certain
deputies moved resolution to the eff
feet Of granting the claimant an irdern-
nifty Of five hundred thousand francs, III
consideration Of which she should sur
render all claims to the inheritance.
The ground upon which Mime. Cotton s
claim was legally founded was as fol-
lows: The original sum of money ow~
ing to the heirs 'lhiery WITS a deposit; a
deposit is not subject to the laws OF pro-
scription; in taking possession of this
deposit the French treasury constituted
itself the negotiorum gestor If the
Thiery heirs; it has continued to hold
the money by virtue Of the same title as
til. bank Of Venice and it could 10 more
claim prescription than could the bank:
itself. article 1886 of the code civil for
bidding this. The parliamentary con1-
naittee pere1nptorily refused to enter
tain such a proposition. From general
standpoint they feared that if they en-
tertained it it would encourage the Gov
etousness of a number OF people, who
believe they are being cheated out Of
their dues by the treasury. The com
mittee remembered that in 1901, after a
vote Of the assembly had authorized
claimants to come forward and state
their claims, naore than two thousand
petitions were laid before the Judges,
none of which We're taken into account.
It is therefore safe to say that it would
be quite useless if the Pfaus and VOLTS
should cross the Atlantic to look after
these millions, DIS they would surely be
disappointed in tllei" expectations