The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-24
CLAIMS A BIG FORTUNE.
Thomas Booth One of the Heirs-at-law
TO the Chadwick Estate.

TO the Chadwick Estate.
From the Neto York Recorder
PROVIDENCE. Aug. 20.-Thomas Booth
claims his portion Of $lS7, 100000, fortune
known in the annals of the British big court
of chancery as the Chadwick Millions"
and 1t has history In which is interviewer
| a romance of a knight of the eighteenth
| century, one Sir Andrew Chadwick, whose
| father was Mr.. Booths ancestor. The prin-
| cipal heir to this fabulous wealth is a cousin
| OF Mr.. Booth, Cornelius Chadwick Of
| Philadelphia, who is heir in the male line,
while Mr.. Booth is q descendant on the
diStaf side of the house of Chad wick.
Mr.. Booths ancestor, Sir Andrew Chad
| wick, was a soldier, and a mighty good
| looking fellow, who served under MARI
| borough in the reign of Queen Anne. A
Swapping trooper, he attracted the atten-
ton of the great captain and was advanced
| to sergeantcy. Returning from the low
countries Sergt. Chadwick was on duty at
| the royal palace OF st. James, when the
| event occurred which made his fortune and
created business for the court of chancery
for the next 125 years.
A plain carriage containing two ladies
| passed the sergeant as no was riding from
| barracks. He knew them as his sovereign
lady queen and the Duchess of Marlborough,
| but he also knew that when they drove out
| in that plain equipaRe their desire was to be
known as Mrs. Morley and Mrs. Freeman.
| consequently he passed them without salut-
| ing. The next moment the carriage was
| tearing along at breakueck speed. The
| horses had bolted, and the handsome life
guardsman started in pursuit, overtaking
the affrighted horses and stopping them just
in time to save the queen.
| His owC life came near being sacrificed
| but he got off with broken head and the
fracture Of several ribs Anne visited the
sergeant in the hospital, and enc day bor-
rowed Churohil's sword, bidding Chadwick
| kneel before her. A gentle stroke of its
blade was laid on his shoulder and he was
hidden TO arise, Sir Andrew Chadwick,
knight banneret Of England. Sir Andrew
| was presented with au estate and was ad-
vanced from one dignity to another until
he became first lord of the bedchamber.
Sir Andrew was as thrifty and as fond Of
money as Marlborough himself and being of
a speculative turn of mind, he bought up
houses and lands in London, notably in the
neighborhood Of the Cheap, where land
could not now be purchased for $500 foot.
His nuptials with Mrs. Margaret Hum
phrey were honorsd by his sovereign's pres
ence, and so great was the esteem in which
he was held that it was whispered at court
shat Essex and Leicester were no greater
favorites Of Elizabeth than was this gallant
knight OF Anne's.
The years passed but no heir was born
! Sir Chadwick was in bis Goth year and went
to hunt up his poor relations, but he found
them all scattered, and he had to content
himself by making a will bequea thing his
| money and lands to his heirs-at-law, who
ever they might be.
1t was in the year 1868 that old Sir An
drew assembled his household to take fare
we'll Of them. He then lacked but two wears
of being a oentenarian. When he died the
g. eat struggle for his millions began. The
| heirs at-law could not be found, and the
| lord chancellor took charge of Sir An
drew's effects His remote successor has
them yet. after period of 1874 years.
| The management of the estate has for a
hundred years and more been a plum for
bestowing upon favorites. a plum as fat
as big receivership. At present it is man.
| aged for the court Of chancery by his grace,
the Duke OF Brtdgewater, who nets 500, 900
a year for his trouble. Many Adventures
have tried to grasp the prize. but my lord
chancellor has ever contrived to keep all
larcenous hands from lingering the fortune.
| Edward Birch and Matthew Martin COM
mittod the crime Of forgery in order to OBJ
tain the millions, but they came to grief.
| The will they produced was shown to be
! spurious, and the enterprising gentlemen
were hanged at Tyburn
Mr.. Booth, when interviewed, said that
! he had been at work on the suit for more
than twenty years. GA man came out
| from England TO hunt up heirs and evil
| dence. Some important documentary links
were missing. and l remembered that when
quite child two Hebrews came to see my
| mother, who was born Sarah Chad wick,
| for the purpose Of getting some old papers
from her. l remembered how closely they
read them and how eager they were to get
them, but my mother refused TO let the
| papers go unless she went with them.
| Il thought it possible that those old
| papers might be in existence, aud that they
might be the missing links. | set sail for
| England and in an old hair trunk that bad
| been slowed away In garrett for twenty
| years aud more found all those papers
which have proved so valuable i'll the Chad
wick case, and which have materially aided
| IN bridging the cause to its present status in
| the chancellor's court. | conferred with
/ Cornelius Chad wick Of Philadelphia, who
Is the direct heir, and negotiations were
opened with law firm whereby it was
agreed to give the lawyers 25 per cent of
the sum recovered Since then a powerful
| New York syndicate has taken hold, and
with most flattering results.
Il am not losing any sleep about it, nor
/ has the thing disturbed me during the
twenty years l have known OF it. My
grandfather and great-grandfather may
| have worried considerably, and yet they
! died without seeing the color Of Sir Andrew
! guineas. l shan't fret II fare no better
than my ancestors but ] shall have a glo-
rious time il do, and that's about all |
| have 10 say about it."