The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-17
TWO ANNIE SMITHS.
Strange Story Of a Bequest to One
OF Them.
Predicament of a Legal Firm Over
Two Claimants for Property.

factory 10 all the parties involved.
Some months ago there died In the
city of New York widow named Mary
Jones. She was native of England, but
had come to the United States In child
hood, and had seen none of her relatives
who remained In England since the day
of her departure from that country. She
was woman Of considerable wealth, and
after her death 10 was found that she had
bequeathcd her property In fairly equal
parts To ber next Of kin.
The share OF each was quite a large sum
of money. The viii was probated, the
nomination Of the executrix confirmed,
and citation was issued for an heir who
lived in Liverpool, who by the terms of
the will was TO receive a share In the estate.
The name of this heir is stated by tho
lawyers to have been Anrfo Smith. The
exccutrix caused the citation to be sent to
Annie Smith at Liverpool, and advised her
in letter which was Enclosed with, the
citation to employ lawyers In New York
TO collect the money that was TO come to
her from the estate, and to forward 1t to
her.
AS Annie Smiths exact address In Liv-
erpool was not known, it was thought
that she could be identified by the post
master of Liverpool II the letter were sent
TO her In care Of her brother, Paul Smith,
sea captain. This was done, and Annie
Smith was easily found by the postoffice
authorities because of the address of the
letter to her IA care of the brother, who
was sea captain.
As soon as tho mails could reach this
country from Liverpool tho firm of law
yers who were aftcrward so seriously in
4. lott
IN which she asked them to collect her
share of the estate and TO forward the mon
ey to her She sent with the letter a power
of attorney which authorized these lawyers
70 do all things necessary to be done in her
name.
The report that her aunt was dead was,
she admitted, the first reminder that she
had had for q long time that an aunt OF
hers was living In tho United States. When
a child, she knew that an aunt had gone TO
this country and had married, and she re-
mem bered in vague sort Of way To have
heard that her aunt had come into posses
sion of large property. She said in her
letter that, until she received the communi-
cation from the executrix, she did not
know what tho married name of her aunt
was
y
the lawyers collected the money, but a
mistake which might have proved most
disastrous was made when the executrix
accepted their word that they had power
of attorney and turned the money over to
them without having looked at that in
strument.
In duo time the money was sent TO An
ME Smith. Tho oxecutrix knew that Annie
O. ha halio haf ho
would have the enjoyment Of that rare ex-
perience which the sudden realization of a
fortune Of which she never dreamed would
furnish.
Some two months passed, and the law
yers here were greatly surprised and even
alarmed when they received letter from
her making inquiry as to the reason why
they had not forwarded 20 her her share in
that estate. They wrote, saying that they
had not only forwarded the fortune, but
that they had also received by return mail
her receipt.
Some three weeks later the lawyers re-
ccived another letter from Annie Smith.
II was threatening and dangerous letter.
She practically accused them of having col
lectcd the money and then appropriated 1t
TO their own use. She informed thom that,
her, she should bring an action against
them for the recovery Of the money upon
the allegation that they had collected and
kept it.
To firm of lawyers Of the highest pro-
fessional repute the bare possibility that
there would To publication Of an accusa-
ton affecting their professional honor,
and especially an accusation To which they
nrl tn nj
did OF course give the grayest anxiety.
The lawyers made n thorough oxamina-
tlon of all tho papers In the ease, and their
anxiety was intensified by the discovery
that the signature of Annie Smith at
tached 10 tho power of attorney was not
IN tho same handwriting as the signature
attached to tho receipt for the money.
This, Of course, suggested forgery, and
while the forged receipt would, in lid-
CATION. oxorera,e this firm of lawyers from
the baser accusations that were made, it
would still rcu,lcr them liable for tho re-
turn Of the money, and as tho amount
was large that Of itself made the COM
plcation very serious
The lawyers at once wrote TO firm Of
solicitors in Liverpool, asking these solici-
tors TO make thorough investigation and
UD DTOlNTC btNcoStAy
in order to trace tho money to the person
who rcceiptod for it. A reply came back
that Annie Smith was undoubtedly acting
In good faith. She had been found in
Liverpool and had told her story in such
a manner as impressed the solicitors with
the truth o. it.
They asked for further information, and
the lawyers here wrote back that the ro-
mlttanco was not sent 20 Annie Smith In
Liverpool, for tho reason that the exocutrix
had informed thom that che had gone
from Llvorpool to Edinburgh and would
be there for some months.
Her brother, the sea captain, had for
some reason gone to Edinburgh, and tho
exocutrix, not knowing Annie Smiths
Edinburgh address, had advised that the
remittance bo sent to her ut Edinburgh in
care of Paul Smith, sea captain, who, tho
execu.rix folt sure, would be likely to
leave his address at tho Edinburgh post
Office.
With this Information tho solicitors con-
tinued their investigation, and recently
they sent letter to the firm of lawyers
which cnueod both ioy and nstOnishment