Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-05-03
AN ECCENTRIC WILL.
A PROSPECT THAT AN OlYMPiAk
MAY BE BENEFITED.
AnSeI white Makes =. N. Troy His
Heir ana Dies-An Eccentric Char
acter-ln the Habit OF Making
Wills as Recognition of FavOrs-
Other Claimants.

Other Claimants.
T. NJ. Troy, young attorney of this
city, formerly of Port Angeles, sudden
~ finds himself heir to an enormous
fortune, stated at 100000 Mr.. Troy
is a son of Smith Troy, of Clallsm
county, who was years ago neighbor to
the cratic bachelor Ansel White.
White lived in log cabin on his ranch
of $50 acres for twenty years. On
May Is, 1883, he died at the age OF rs
years, and was buried in the land on
which he had lived so long. Seven or
eight years ago he made will, naming
P. NJ. Troy. who was then living with
his father, as sole heir and legatee, out
of regard for Smith Troy and special
liking which he has taken TO p. NJ.
Troy. The will was properly attested,
and is now in Troy's possession. AT
the time OF making the will, White
owned the ranch on which he lived, also
large number OF books, and, it was
thought, considerable money. Just
prior to his death, however, he sold the
ranch for nominal price, retaining a
life interest in it, and at the time Of
his death he was supposed to have q
considerable sum of money in his pos
session, but none of it was ever found,
and his books also had disappeared.
Search was made for them, but no
trace could be found. His neighbors
believe that he buried both money
and books somewhere on his ranch.
Before coming to Washington White
made some money in California, but
when he left San Francisco he said
nothing regarding his destination, thus
making it impossible for those search
ing for him to get trace of him and in
form him that he had fallen heir to an
estate in New York.
AS was stated in the San Francisco
papers, it was supposed that Ansel
Whites was one OF the unknown bod
les found floating in San Francisco
harbor, yet during the past two years
w. Pierpont White, son of Ansel
Whites nephew, has been searching
for the lost heir or for conclusive evil
dences Of his death. He was traced
from his home in Utica, N. ", to Mis-
souri,, and thence to California, where
all trace OF him was lost. The ne.
phew then advertised in the San Fran
cisco papers and i'll the Post InteHi-
gencer, and from the description con-
tanned in the latter paper C.. +. Clapp
of Seattle, recognized in Ansel White
rancher of Dunginess. He immedi-
ately telegraphed this information to
Mr.. White at San Francisco, and that
gentleman came to Port Angeles for
the purpose of meeting County Audi
tor John w. Troy, brother of p. NJ.
Troy. The identity of the dead man
was fully established during a CONVEX
sation between these gentleman, for
Mr.. Troy recalled many circumstances
which White had spoken OF as having
occurred during his early life, as, for
instance, the fact of his having been q
schoolmate of ex-Gov. Seymour, Of
New York, and Pierpont White was so
confident that he had succeeded in
tracing the missing heir to his grave
that he left at once for New York. He
stated before leaving that within two
weeks two attorneys would be sent
from New York to Port Townsend,
whose mission it would be to secure
legal and conclusive data, in order
that the will might again be probated,
and the $4,000OO0 divided among
sixteen heirs who have been waiting
for fifteen years for the information
now obtained.
A complication arises, however, for
Pie-pont White and the other heirs to
unravel in the will whereby Ansel
White leaves all OF his property to p.
NJ. Troy. At the time OF making the
will there is little probability that the
old man was aware OF the fact that the
New York estate was his, and if he
had known it there is probability tina,
he would not have asserted his claim
to it. These facts, however, do moi
affect the will. 1t was executed in &C.
cordance with law, and the witnesses
to it are still living.