Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-10-26
UNEXPECTED RICHES.
TO A WOMAN'S DREAM ONE YOUNG
MAN OWES HIS FORTUNE.

Distribution of Some Property-Mrs
Johnson's Remarkable Dream and
What Came of 1t.
A young Irish lad living 5000 miles
away in poor and humble circumstances
was made the heir of quite a snug little
sum by a decree Of the superior court OF
this city, and it all came about through
dream-nothing hut dream. The
facts and circumstances which led to
this extraordinary Inheritance are as
follows:
There died in this city on April 6,
1880, an honest, hard working machinist
of the name of Patrick Shine, who, hav-
ing accumulated some little wealth and
knowing that his end was near, few
weeks previous to his death decided all
Of his property to his faithful wife, FL
len, their union never having been
blessed with children. The loss of her
life companion Frustrated the widow,
and her grief was so great that just two
months later-on June 6, 1S90-Ellen
Shine, no longer able to bear under her
load of sorrow, quietly breathed her
last, to rejoin her beloved husband in
another world.
Ellen Shine died intestate and her
property was taken charge of by Public
Administrator James g. Pennie, who at
once advertised and otherwise searched
for any unknown heirs, so that if they
existed they could have an opportunity
to present their claims. The statutory
time expired, however, and no person
appeared who on the ground of relation
ship with Ellen Shine laid claim to her
estate.
In the mean time, however, Daniel
Shine, brother of the late Patrick
Shine, and Mary Madigan and Ellen
Carey, his two sisters, filed petition for
a distribution of the estate on the ground
that it was community property, and
that Ellen Shine having left no heirs,
they were the nearest relatives. The
case was set for a hearing, and on Aug.
26, 1891, in department 10 of the su-
perior court, the petition of the brothers
and sisters of Patrick Shine was granted.
The court issued decree of distribu-
ton, but the public administrator, still
hopeful that Ellen Shine might have
some relatives living who might be
found, delayed the filing of this decree
for some weeks to gain time. This de-
lay proved of the greatest Importance,
as was proved by the subsequent events
Among the people who knew Ellen
Shine was Mrs. Mary Anne johnson,
Of 140 Fell street, the wife of a me-
chanic. Mrs. Shine and Mrs. johnson
were both of them natives of County
Cork, Ireland, and whenever they met
they used to exchange "reminiscences of
the days of their youth. When Mrs.
johnson learned through the newspa-
pers that her old friend had died, and
that the public administrator had charge
of her property for the lack of legal
claimants, she was greatly distressed,
and the matter worried her for many
weeks. In vain the good woman cudg-
eled her brains in an endeavor to re-
member whether she had ever heard of
any one related to Ellen Shine. She
could recollect no one.
The matter occupied her mind so
much that it is not at all surprising that
one night (Aug. 30, 1891 after retiring,
still much perturbed over the fact that
all that money should go to strangers,
Mrs. johnson had her peaceful slumbers
disturbed by a dream. She dreamed of
Ellen Shine as young girl home in Ire
land, surrounded by host of relatives,
and conspicuous in that visionary pic
ture from dreamland was the figure of
the old parish priest. the Rev. Father
James, well known to the dreamer.
When Mrs. johnson awoke next morn
ing she remembered her dream, and
thought it strange that in it Father
James should be mixed up with the
youthful days of her late friend. The
more she pondered over this, to her in
explicable fact, the more she became
convinced that the proper person to
apply to for information concerning the
relatives of Ellen Shine was the old par
ish priest, and she resolved at once to
write to him.
Her surmise proved correct. In due
time she received letter from Rev.
Father James, now known as Canon
Hegerty, in which he said that he knew
Ellen Shine well when she was still at
her Irish home; that her maiden name
was Ellen Dooley, and that her nearest
relative living was a nephew by the
name Of Joseph Cotter, residing in a
village near Cork called Carrignaver.
The canon also advised Mrs. johnson to
turn the case over to some attorney at
once.
Overjoyed at the result of her dream,
she fastened to the Office of Attorney
Alexander T. Vogelsang and placed the
whole matter in his hands. Inquiries
made resulted in the corroboration of
the facts as stated, and, glad that the
decree giving the property to the
brother and sisters of Patrick Shine had
as yet not been filed, Mr.. Vogelsang re-
paired to the office of the public admin
istrator, Freese, whom he informed that
he was the representative Of direct
heir to Ellen Shines estate.
Mr.. Pennie, whose precaution in not
filing the decree when it was issued
how became so Unexpectedly justified,
was pleased to hear that SO much good
had resulted from it, and assisted MIR.
Vogelsang in bringing an action 10 have
the former decree set aside and ut the
same time in filing petition to have
the estate distributed to Joseph Cotter.
Judge Levy gave satisfactory Judgment
without more than the delay necessary
for the purpose of obtaining the proofs
OF Cotter's claim from Ireland, and the
young Irish lad was officially notified
that he was the sole owner of IL house
and lot on Garden street and another
lot in the O'Neill and Healy tract. all
left to him by an aunt whom he had
never known, by the assistance of the
beneficent fairies Of dreamland.-San
Francisco Chronicle.
A Quick and Easy Way.
Even the poor Deggars who get few
cents for passing out dodgers to the
ur,-i11;prr no I,1,o