The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-20
HEIR TO A FORTUNE.
Engineer Thomas CoSte clio OF the Santa Fe Made
Rich by the Death OF Brother.

! Everybody in railroad circles knows Mr..
! Tom Costello, the genial Santa Fe engi-
neer, who pulls the passenger train to
Englewood from this city. Tom is a
hardy Irishman, not very tall, who can
make fun for thousand men. He is a
natural-bor comedian, and is mimic of
extraordinary powers. He can talk York
shire, English to the queens taste, can
talk Irish like a Clan-na-Gael, and can
spout broken German, Italian and French
to perfection. In addition TO these &C
complishments he is one of the best engi-
neers on the Santa Fe road. He fears no
danger and many are the times he has
made the hair stand on passengers heads
when he wanted to make up time. He
pulled Senator Plumb to Kingman one
time, and did it SO nicely that the great
big-hearted senator at the end of the run
crossed palms with him and said that he
was dandy at his business Indeed
the senator told him ON the quiet that he
had travelled over the best roads in
the United States but never before was
pulled by Drawer or better engineer than
Tom Costello. Mr.. Costello has had a pre-
sentiment all his life that he would die a
bloated capitalist and it is now very prob
able that he will. He had an older brother
in Ireland named Patrick and along about
forty yeas ago Patrick left the paternal
roof to seek his fortune in the wide world.
He bent his steps towards Cork and find
steamer there ready to start for Aus
tralia he embarked on it and in due time
he landed at Melbourne. He was stout,
hardy and industrious fellow and as there
was mining craze in Australia when he
landed he secured job and became an ex-
pert miner. Very soon he took claim of
his own and successfully mined it for
about twenty years when he bid adieu TO
Australia and came to America, settling
in Michigan. About the time he settled in
Michigan bis folks heard from him but
never had heard from him afterwards.
They naturally thought he was dead and
ong since gave up all hope of ever know
ing anything about him.
4 week or so ago Mr.. Costello's sister,
who is the wife of General Roadmaster
Connell of the Colorado Midland road,
came to Wichita to visit Tom and he was,
OF course, very glad to see her. In can
versing about their childhood days their
mind naturally reverted to the fate of
their brother Patrick. In short time
the mail carrier knocked AMI handed Mr.
Costello letter from the probate judge of
Detroit, Mich, stating that man named
Patrick Costello had died there intestate
leaving u cash deposit Of $4,000 in the /
bank and about $40, 600 worth Of property
besides. Why did the probate Judge
write to Tom Costello? Well, that is a
story that Is somewhat romantic, too. /
The probate judge and his family were /
spending the summer at Colorado Springs /
some few years ago and so was Tom
Costello and his family. They stopped +
at the same hotel and became so well ,
acquainted that both families were always +
together. W hen Patrick Costello died az .
Detroit he left no information relative 70 4
his friends and as be had no family .
himself the probate judge set about !
fiuding some clue to his relatives. lie .
thought of his old Colorado .
Springs friend aud in a hap-hazzard way
wrote TO him concerning the fortune Of .
the deceased Patrick Costello. He evil (.
IDENTIFY did not suppose that Tom was
anything 20 the dead man, but thought. +
perhaps. he might know OF other CostelIos
and inform them and that By tha: means .
a relative might be found TON xiii have
no need OF reporting the matter any far
Their for be Is unquestiOnabiy the brother
OF the dead maa Mr.. Costello's mother "a +
living in Texas and she has letters. etc,
from Patrick which viii aid them mHteri-
ally in establishing their claim 10 The es-
tate The heirs are three, Tom, his
mother and his sister.
Mr. Costello was seen by al EAGLE re-
porter last night and found him enjoying
his good fortune modestly. He has writ
ten 20 his mother and 10 a fsw days their
interests VIII De looked after