The Indianapolis journal., 1894-01-08
MISS SANKEY'S LUCK
Once Penniless Orphan She Now
Gets a Fortune Of 100000.
kidnapped and Cast Off by Crazy Sam
Sankey, the Courts Give Her
All His Estate.

WlLLIAMSPORT, Pa, Jan. Miss
Caroline G. Sankey, formerly a pauper, liv-
ing in Lycoming county, but now a pretty
and accomplished belle, who lives at 1l2O
Twenty-irst street, San Francisco, in the
family of Charles S. Coggins, has just been
declared, finally and for all, the heress to
a fortune of over 100000. She is only
tWenty-four years old. Samuel Sankey was
pioneer of '49 and a man who was known
from one end of California to another. He
went up and down the coast buying hides.
and from this business he accumulated q
comfortable fortune. His WIFE, by whom he
had one child, boy, was of freakish,
unbalanced mind and unusual disposition
In 1878 the boy was drowned while SWIM
ming in Mission creek. The father and
mother mourned with excess of woe, and
their minds became unbalanced. Sankey
came to Pennsylvania Here in the home
of some of his relatives in Lycoming coun-
ty, he saw little orphan niece and his
queer heart warmed to her. He offered to
adopt her and take her to his lonely home
The relatives with whom the girl was
staying, bitterly opposed this, because of
sankey's peculiaritieS. Bribing the nurse
he kidnapped the child. In the dead of win
ter he hid her in cellars, garrets and out
buildings. moving from place to place to
u
drove over the border of the State, out of
the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania courts
and Kept on west to Illinois.
When he returned to PENNSYLVANIA he
was arrested and charged with KIDNAPPING.
While the case was pendili5 the court
In this city he compromised it and formal
took the child from Freeport, ILL.,. to Cali
fornia and installed her in his house at
Nineteenth and Jessie streets, San Fran
cisco. There she became alternately the
his wife. wife H0Se"0'' ''uose Oi SanNey ana
In 1856 Mrs Sankey died, and the neigh
bors believe her husband poisoned her
After his wife's death Sankey became vio-
lently mad. He maltreated his adopted
fey gave the girl into the hands of the So
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Chill
dren.
The very next day the old man tore UP
the will he had made in favor of the girl,
danced upon it In maniacal fury, and made
another will disinheriting her entirely. This
witnesses to it. Both, however, did not
sign at the same time. In September 1886
Sankey came East. and on Oct % of that
year he died at the home of his brother.
John Sankey at Mifiinburg, Union county,
in this State.
He left in California thirteen lots in
Berkeley, lots on Channel street, and the
| house at Nineteenth and Jessie streets
San Francisco. This is worth $4,000 now
$1,000 in money. Just what the lots are
worth is not known definitely but $4,000
has been offered for them. At Miffiinburg
he owned a tannery and property worth
$4,000 and some notes and judgments
against litigfous relatives for over $1,000
Before his death Caroline had found a
friend in Charles s. Coggins, of San Fran
cisco. Mrs. CogginS gave her q home and
upon Sankey's death Mr.. Coggins was ap-
pointed her guardian. He applied to Judge
Corey for letters of administration on her
adaptive fathers estate. This application
was combated by John Sankey on behalf
or the Pennsylvania heirs, who offered the
disinheriting will for probate. Thus be-
gan the long legal struggle which has lust
ended. The relatives, who had ignored the
girl when she was in want, suddenly be-
came very fond Of her. They tried to get
her TO come to them. John Sankey made
two trips to California. set detectives to
watch the girl, and tried to abduct her.
He followed her TO Chico, when Mr.. Cog
+ gins had sent her, and there pistols were
drawn by them over her possession.
Judge Coffey declared Sankey's will in
valid because of the old fellows insanity
He gave all the estate to the girl and al
lowed her s75 per month pending litigation
The relatives gave up the fight in Cali
fornia and transferred it to the courts of
this State. where they attacked the validity
of the girls adoption. Through all the
courts the case went, and became cele-
brated. The girl won. Then they tried the
Illinois courts for the Chicago property
The lower court decided in the girls fa-
vor, and now the news has come that the
court of last resort in Illinois has sus-
tanned the lower court, and pretty Carrie
Sankey'' still has a fortune of over 500 coo
in her own right.