Milford chronicle., 1895-04-05
ESTATES IN EUROPE.
A NEW YORK CONCERN WHICH COL
LEcTs LEeAcIEs ABROAD.

Most Of the Legacies Are small-The Larg'
Ones Usually Turn Out to BE NIyths-On'
Case Where a Servant Impersonated Hi
Employer.
There is fourishing on down towr
east side street a Legacy Advance com
pany with counselor at French and
German law as general manager. The
offices are handsomely appointed, and
apparently the business is profitable.
Most of the clients of this company are
Of French or German birth, and if they
can satisfy the general manager that
they have an inheritance coming ia
them from Europe they may obtain
from him an advance on it. The com
pany will either buy the inheritance
outright or it will collect it on commits
sion. New York's foreign population is
large, and many of its members are
living hand to mouth existence wait
ing for relatives at home TO die and
leave them money. The Legacy Advance
company will not discount the claims Of
prospective heirs because the laws in
this country will not permit. In Eng
land this sort of disoounting is a recog-
nized business.
"If it were only permitted here, y
said the manager of the company, there
would be millions in it, but it isn't,
and we don do any Of that kind Of busi-
ness. 1 know of one company in Lon
H.. et.a4 l,,- ,,,,Ia ,rrar 81 00O mn in
these discounts. F"
This New York company finds that
there is business enough in collecting
inheritanoes, and some Of the men and
women who ask it for aid give it phan-
tom ohases. This is particularly true Of
the French claimants. They are always
and on general principles expecting
something from somebody. Every time
the French papers announce the death
of a wealthy man without heirs there is
to be found some one in this city who
is ready TO claim relationship and part
Of the estate The Legacy Advance com
pany takes no chances When claim
ant satisfies the manager that he has a
reasonable claim to an Inheritance
abroad and is willing TO give a power
OF attorney to collect it, the manager
cables for information to his agent in
the town where the estate happens to
be. If he receives satisfactory evidence
that the claim is a good one, he makes
an advance to the heir here and sets in
motion his machinery for collecting the
legacy.
It is easier TO collect legaoies in Ger
many than in France, and it is easier to
collect them in either country than in
the United States. Moreover, it is
cheaper An estate may be settled in
from six weeks to three months in Ger
many, whereas in this country it would
take a year to bring about the same set
Element
Most Of the legacies that we have
for collection, " said the manager, ARE
small ones ranging from 2, 600 to 10, 600
marks. Occasionally we have a big leg
aoy for collection, but generally big
legacies prove to be myths. For in
stance, here is a letter that l have just |
from a man in the west, who
claims that the city Of Amsterdam owes |
him s15, 600, 000 An ancestor Of his
settled there in 1895, he says, and died,
leaving a big fortune, which the city I
as there were apparently 4
40 heirs to claim it. This man writes
hat he has absolute proof that he is an
leir TO this estate. Unfortunately for
lin, all such claims were declared void
" q law passed in 1885. Perhaps were
{ not for that law he might be able to
,ollect something Who knows? As it
S, however, he is wasting his time, and
shall have to write and tell him So "
do you have many bogus claims pre-
ented to you?'
tYes, there are a good many such.
heolaimant himself is fool
d. Not long ago a we'll dressed man
allied at our Office and asked us to col
eot a claim for 80, 600 marks from an es-
ate that had been left in Switzerland.
he man showed US his papers identity
ng him, and gave Us a description Of
be property there and a complete his
ory Of it We communicated with our
gent in Switzerland and found that an
state had been left just as this man had
and that ne was one OF the
eira We were taking the necessary
ieps to collect it when a tramp came {
ito our Office He was shabbily dressed :
nd looked as if be had been kicking {
round the streets for months. {
Are you collecting legacy in (
for Blank?' he asked. I
I'VE are answered, surprised
lat this man should know anything I
bout it
" Well, you are on the wrong track
> said, because am Blank, and the |
her man for whom you are acting Is 3 {
aud.
His appearance didn't tend to cor {
iborate his claim, but he told substan- I
ally the same story about the estate Q
at the other man had told, anr my
tdosity was aroused. He said that the Z
nn whom we SUPPOSED 20 be tha1real