The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-14
QUEER scRoocEs.
men Who Grind and Save and Then Leave
Their Wealth to the State.

QUEER SCROOGES.
Men Who Grind and Save and Then Leave
| Their Wealth to the State.
The public administrator office is
the recipient Of many curious story
that comes along with the exercise OF
the functions allotted to it by the law.
Many a close glimpse of human nature
in all its phases is obtained; for where
money is at stake the cunning and Gu
pidity of old Dame Nature is fpretty
apt to crop out. AS a general rule, OF
course, the cases that pass through the
! public administrator Office are of per-
sons who have died without any next
of kin. In the case of those who die
leaving no one within the state OF New
York legally entitled to share in what
property they may possess, or leaving
no one competent to act as administra-
tor, the public administrator assumes
charge. After the payment of funeral
expenses and other just debts against
the estate, should there be no one en-
titled to the remainder, then it is paid
over to the state treasurer. But should
the public administrator know that
some relative is alive and yet he is I'M
able to locate such person, the money
is paid into the hands of the county
clerk
Some years ago man died in one OF
the city hospitals with $500 in cash and
bank books representing $1,000 more
under his pillow. The case was turned
over to the public administrator, who
at once instituted an investigat ton. It
was discovered that the dead man had
for some years been serving q news
paper route on the hill. He made his
headquarters at a certain book store.
The proprietor could give no informa
ton of him, however, aside from the
fact that he paid his bills and attended
to his own business. The stranger was
not a man of communicative moods.
The only man with whom he had ever
been at all social was Mr.. So and So,
on a neighboring street. But Mr.. So
and So knew nothing of the newspaper
carrier aside from the suspicion that he
was not living under his right name.
There the matter ended. But the story
came out in the newspapers some time
as Henry Wilson. By some freak OF
the type it was published as Henry
Nelson. In due course of time letters
from all over the country began to pour
in upon the public adninistrat tor. They
all wanted informal ton OF Henry Neil
son. Some Of the letters were ex-
trenely cunning. In one the writer,
rrr f,f ho
article in the newspa pers, asked for
some tidings of dear uncle whom he
had not heard of since he became a
newspaper carrier in Brooklyn. His
name was, of course, Henry Nelson.
The falsitv of these letters and the
hope of the writers to be able to gobble
a portion of the dead mans estate was
very evident from the fact that the
mans name was Wilson instead of
Nelson. So with this fact in mind it
may be we'll to mention some OF the
curious cases that have gone through
the office-minus the names.
There was an old woman, living in
wretched home in the eastern district
of the city. One morning she went to
the nearest police station and declared
that she had been robbed of very
considerable sum Of money. The Off
GERS went to her shanty, and, after
look at the poverty and squalor there,
soon came to the conclusion that the
robbery was myth, from the fact
that there was nothing to steal in the
place and no signs Of the possession of
money. Yet n year or SO latter, when
the old woman died. in kicking over
the rubbish in the place the officers
found $1,000 in gold and seven bank
books. representing deposits OF several
thousand more. One of these books
showed where deposit had been made
in New York bank twenty years be-
fore and on which the interest had
never been collected or even entered
When the police got to thinking the
matter over they concluded that the
old miser's story of the robbery had
some foundation for truth after all.
There was another old woman in the
upper part of the city who was known
to have relatives in the west and in
Germany, but none IN New York state.
For some days her house was closed up,
and when finally entrance was gained (
it was discovered that the woman was |
dead-had died of natural causes. The |
public administrator took charge of !
the matter and after a search Of the /
premises, but ten dollars was discov- |
cred. In making a search of the house I
safe deposit blanks were found and I
a slip of brown paper, upon which |
were scrawled the words: Union Dime;
PEOPLES and East River" These vari- |
Gus banking and deposit institutions /
were visited. but with no result. Then /
another search Of the house was made. /!
On a shelf in the pantry stood an old
IRON pot Il was filed with old bed /
ticking. apparently. But when this /
was pulled out there came 10 light two
paper bags. In each Of these, upon
opening, were found nine bank booxs,
eighteen in all. representing many
thousands of dollars.
The propensity to accumulate money
IS found in the record OF another case
n the Office 1t was OF an old fellow
who. at the age OK seventh, decided
that ne had had enough of hard work
md was about ready TO enjoy what
lew years Of life remained to him. So
ne sold ont his horses and trucks and
rave up his business But in very !
,aort time he decided that he had been
n the harness too long &c give i. up /
"a no ahasad a cart and s<a.a. mn hia