The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-11-22

ped in dramatic interest and surprise the
narration of ex-Judge Dittcnhoeter, OF Ne"
Work. of an experience of his own. 1t mas
been possible only recently to permit the pub
lica ion of this story, for reasons when VIII
anr,aar in thu. course OF the narration.
BEFORE the ciyi! war one of the great
,narcautile houses of New York was that OF
Lewis, Laviland IL Co. situated at the cor
ner of Chambers and Church streets, only
stones throw from A. L. Stewart store
The head of the firm at the time the war
hr.fke .,,.e was John - Lewis. lie was Il
man who had the fascination OF mystery,
about him. and he possessed unusually ;tC
tractive manners, and was re9arueu ps
many as one of the hands0ueSt merchahts
in the city. Lis complexion was OF sucn
swarthy TINT is suggested eltheE 0paAiss
or Italian origin, and his graceful demeahor,
and especially his cUurty ways "hen III lle
presence OF women. furnished Limits OF such
Preceding as obtained i'll European courts.
MIR Lewis, wheA Il lau, entered Tie EN-
TIoy of Louis havlland, and even Whlle
&c was crraid boy he gave Sucn evidence
IS business cao;,cjty as caused Mr.. Hayl-
Land to predict that he would become
treat merchant some day. lie was pro-
NOTED As ne grew older, and when ME-
liariland died he became the mead Oh the
firm which retained tie olq halhe-
lewis was Il bachelor. lie lived IN me
srvlr drove Splendid horses, ard as ne
rod. along The bio0nlinSdale road "hiCh
va, fine, fashionable drive at that tne, ne
was perhaps in appearance ule nl"S' us
f;up;isacd llau III me thr0nS. VI MS early
re- bp said nuthilg. No one knew amy thing
Of his history before he, a iad OF ten, ap,
rlied for ANA received Il situation as efFahd
boy IN IavilandS store ~.
lie often ,.mulOYed rs cOunSeI JuGge Oitr
@anionfnr ami lie relations between the
,,vn men were as intimate probably as
those which Alr. LEWIS permitted hlnSelL
80 enjoy with any man III the city. judge
JSjttethoetCr having been broken Gown III
health went to Europe IN 1851 ana renamed
+I,~aa wears Shortly before his return he
clicked no an American newspaper ana WAS
1shocj,,d 70 sec IL IL AZ account 81 tle SUD
Do, death of Nir. lewis, VIII II was caused
n = runaway accident Upon ms return
.iuJcn IJttnuhOcler being one day III the
surroo;ite' Office WAS reminded by some TIL
vial incident Of hIS old CHEAT. Nr. Lewis
IL, yvondeysl what Mr.. Lewis had zone
with his estate- 30 Tar as Aho"n L .'''l'
had no heirs and his estate was great one,
et least for that time for he Was estimated
+o ha worth $4,000. Curiosity tempted
Judge Dittpnhoefer to ask II Lewis nad lelt
any will. and having found that ne hid
Tbe indigo asked to see u. w hen BE READ
Il he was qIna1ei II was an extraordinary
document None ike it had ever been OF
fered for probate i'll an Office where nun
drpdS of millions of dollars in testamentary
bequests have paSSei under the scrutiny Oh
the probate judges. ooo
The will gave five requests of %Io,Vo
each to certain Id friends 10 Mr.. Lewis IN
New York city, and it then ordered that
the rest Of his estate should oe heid III
ernst and the income of it given TO woman
whose name and address were given. ms
;ncoIne was TO go to her as long as she re-
rnsined unmarried, but to cease upon her
marriage Another clause provided that
in case she mad a child or children the en-
tire estate at her death was 70 pass 10 her
heirs Another clause ordered that IN
ease these requests were not possible tne
antire amount should be expended IN beau
tifying his lot IN Greenwooa celaeterSj
~aod the will that it could not stand ]u-
dirial examination, The provision be
80 tbinr the estate to the children of the
woman named if she had any would he as
sertnd inyalidate the will, since it was con-
%rary to public policy ana acted as a re-
srTaint of marriage According TO the VIII
En- 1yoman COULD receive nothing from the
estate in case she dld marry. .
.I,ldae DittenhOeter determined 10 nilo II
v,oSSiTia whether there were any heirs OF
SGr lewis. The only clue to the early lie
81 Lewis which he had was a statement
Ivhirh he once made that he mad come from
canada TO the United States. This adj
r;Is;on was Reluctantly given iii the course
Of some legal proceedings. Judge Often
Goef4r therefore caused an advertisement
80 b.s inserted in q Toronto paper, and he
,oca Toronto solely because he had an ac-
o,,ointence in that city who could the more
99uS;ILl secure the insertion OF the adyer-
tisenIent than could be done BY eorrespon-
deuce with the paper
Two weeks later Judge Dittenhoefe I re-
ceiyed a letter p0stnarkcd Slmcoe, Can,
tos.n I..J miles distant from Toronto.
The eoT writer said in his letter that happen
my lle 70 ne in the office OF a hotel in Simcoe
wa the coming, Of friend, he picked
M a newspaper which lay upon table.
" ~, Ia NOT Seen a COPY of that paper for
two Years. and it was only such chance that
nut it in his hands. His eve fell upon the
Establishment iv asking for information re-
epecting tie heirs of John D. Lewis, who