The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-22
is NOT A CASTLE in SPAIN
But the Ground Upon Which Two Pros
porous Eastern Cities Are Built.
People Of Indianapolis and Vicinity Trying
TO Get an Estate They Value at Some $780,
000, 000-Grant from William Ill

Since the partial exhaustion of the gold
and silver mines of the West has permitted
the pulse of FL Dorado fevers to cool down
TO q comparatively normal state. sensa-
tional dreamers have been compelled to
look otherwhere for money e&citementaL
An occasional winning on the green cloth
of Monte Carlo has inflamed the visions of
chimerical writer's, while now and then a
subdued throb from some lottery has re-
vived the smoldering flames Of fancy
through the doubtful currents of cheap
literature. A great many stories have been
written and told about old estates. and the
heirs to them. who woke up sud
denly to find that they were million
aires. but it is exceedingly seldom
that these tales rest upon other than
the vaporous foundations of fiction. patched
and thatched to suit the humOr of their in
ventors and perpetrators. Occasionally
there comes the glimmer of gold to the
eyes of unfortunate people who are more
than willing to trust the intangible thread
thrown out TO them from some transient
mirage. which snaps in time to leave them
poorer for their investIgatiOns and possibly
deeply disappointed for life.
Such experiences have served to put peo-
pie on their guard and make them I'm will
ing to risk even a little for the hope of
gaming a great deal. Eastern and European
fortunes are generally surrounded by a
halo OF tradition which makes them IN
most cases particularly p~alatable. But
when these traditions surround facts that
are of record then the story becomes corre-
spondingly exciting. Facts concerning
just such q fortune. together with it's mag
Ditude. have been eXcRvated by a reporter
for the Journal. This fortune embraces
the cities OF Wilmington. Del, and West
chester, Pa. and interests a large mum Der of
persons in thiscity, West indianapolis, and
other cities in this State. The value of 1t
is placed at go. Ooo. coo. and the title to the
property seems clearly vested in people of
this State. w. e. Cline, a Hendricks
county attorney. and ali heir to the estate.
starts for Wilmington next week to inves-
tigate and prosecute the claims OF the heirs
TO the property IN question. The other
Dye. of Philadelphia. Ind; Scott Gilpin,
Sarah Hamilton, Mary Mitchell. George
anc william Gilpin. of Martinsville; David
w est Indianapolis; Israel Gilpin, %IrvingtOn;
Elizabeth Mcclellan. Amo: David and
William Mcclellan. Mrs. Kate Dougherty,
wife OF ex-Chief DOugherty. w. I. Mexican.
Fort Wayne; Lon Mcclellan, foreman for
man OF the Eagle chair factory. all of this
city. and otherrheirs at Providence. X. L.;
Pullman, H.; Smiths Cross Roads. Ky;
Lincoln. Kan, and Pittsburg. Penn.
The property includes six hundred acres
OF land. on part of which the battle of
Brandy wine was fought. and the cities of
Wilmington, Del, and Westchester, Pa,
are situated. The title is. in short. as fol-
lows: Joseph Gilpin was a brother-in-law to
William Penn and came To America along
with him. and was subsequently granted a
tract of land. of which the above named
Is a portion, by King William III. by char
ter. This charter Is one of peculiar quaint
ness. One portion of the grant states that
as q consideration Joseph Gilpin shall
deliver at the door of Windsor Castle two
beaver skins each year. and give unto the
crown one-ffth of all gold and silver found
In said land" etc. The LAND in question
was gwen in turn by Joseph Gilpin to
Israel Gilpin. Israel had erected sub
s sssn'l land I before the OF rss seGns GR
war. Concerning the disposal of the
same. j. II. Perkins. of Cincinnati. the
father of George q. Perkins. who was a
judge of the Superior Court in that city in
1852. wrote to Scott Gilpin, of Martinsville.
who at that time was chairman or the COM
mittee of heirs that had been appointed TO
look up the estate at q meeting of the heirs
In Martinsville In 1882.
Mr.. Perkins Is also an heir. and wrote as
follows concerning his grandfather, Israel
GiIpin:
Israel Gilpin. my grandfather. lived on the
Brandy wine. and the battle OF Brandywine was
fought on his place. His residence was taken by
the British commander for his headquarters, ana
SO held 1or some days. Israel Gilpin was in care
OF the wounded. and | often heard him say that
he removed General La Fayette. who was
wounded there, from the field. | cannot fix the
time when he moved 10 Kentucky, but it was
sary department, and ranked as colonel.
and Am 1ssS he sse applied dT for a mis- pension msns1
for him in three different payments. He
did not 1--we to receive all OF it. $50 being paid
after his death. He died July 1. 1884. at ninety
four years OF age. He left four heirs. hut one
died without Issue. My aunt Polly Gilpin mar
ried a man named Hanway and moved to In
diana. near Greensbnrg. My uncle. George
Gilpin, also went to Indiana shortly after the
war OF 1872. The third is my mother, Nancy
Gilpin. Please let me know the result of the
and regret 1 cannot be present Yours very
truly. j. III. PERKINS. per w. S. p.
Address reply to Covtngton, KY, 726 Grcenup
street.
Israel Gilpin. 1t seems. was a Radical at
the tim of the revolution. and. as an evil
dence OF his love for his country. donated
all he possessed to the government that
was then poverty-stricken, or rather leased
1t to the government for a period of ninety
nine years. at the end of which time his
heirs Were. within twenty years. TO clam
It as theirs. If. however, they failed to
make such q claim within the time pre-
ecribed, then the property should revert to
the government forever. This lease was eX-
ecuted In 1777. The ninety-nine years ex-
pired In 1916 and the twenty years Will
have expired in 1896. 1t Will be seen that
the heirs have yet but four years i'm which
TO present their claims. The fact that the
property passed bodily to the government
for that length of time makes 1t I'm
possible for 1t to have been subsequently
disposed OF. And the case seems To rest
upon the legality of the title under which
the land was held by Israel aud Joseph
Gilpin. lie was decided at the meeting of
the heirs in Martinsville, in 1882, to send an
ettOrnay Tn invasfi uata fha mafrsr onb ot-
torney Mitchell. OF that city. was sent. Mr..
Mitchell. it is stated. spent three weeks in
Wilmington. and returned with the assur-
snce that no title 10 the property was vesr-
ed In the heirs he represented. Lately,
however. the heirs have become d~issatis-
fed with the investigation. and the Hen
bricks county attorney will start for Will
mington next week To review the search
made by Mr.. Mitchell.
TIL EnuANn IN uIc MN -