The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-11-12
AN HEIR TO MILLIONS IN FLORIDA.
Important Litigation Begun in New
York Involving Three Thousand
Acres Of Valuable Land.

tonla Srgni, young married man, OF
MnspetA, l.. l., now clcrk in drug
store. He claims to be hcir to tho
valuable tract Of land in question. IL
EN- braces 5000 acres near st. Angus
the.
1t is known, as the "Scgni grant"
Portions Of it arc in possession Of per-
sons who claim to be heirs to the orig
inal grantee from tho Spanish crown.
| but their rights arc denied by tho
Long Land claimant, who has ON.
plOycd counsel and is having the old
| Span'sh records searched to establish
the fac. Of his heirship. Flo thinks
he bas reason to believe he will soon
| be able to do this.
The facts, not unmiXcd with MYSTERY
and romance, 50 far as they have been
asccrta!n@d. show that about ITO An
toria Scgni wlS born IT Mrhon, in Mi
norca, one OF the Balearic islands, no
miles eft the cast coast Of Spain. lie
was trained and educated in the Roman
Catholic faith and at the age Of twenty
| years vas orda;ncd u priest Of that
| church.
The young priest, tull Of the cnthu-
slasm OF youth and imbued with the
active missionary spirit of tho times.
looked TO the new world as an inviting
| field for Christian work, ard at his
request was sent to Florida.
Hero he at once plungcd into the
Wilderness, making his home among
the Indians, learning their language
ard planting the banner Of his church
among them. Spurred by q deep re-
ligious anal, his efforts bore fruit salts
factory to himself and to the church
ut homo.
Father Scgni became famous, and to
'ils day the remnant Of the Scminolcs
ncak his name. He was looked on
ith great favor at home, and the az
luton OF the crown was callCl to the
onderful work be was doing among
the sa!ages Of the Land OF Flowers.
at about the beginning Of the Lrcs-
tnt century there came to Florida from
tne i'aicaric Islands some seventy far
mers, CD friends Of the priest, and
I ICY settled on land nea" the rort of
I s.. Augustine. Among them were
| two brol hers Of the priest. His friends
and relatives suggested that he should
have grant Of land, that he might
nave Il home and an ample income
when age and Over"ork should demand
that he rest from his arduOus labOrs.
SO 1T was that the Spanish crown made
the grant referred to, which embraced
the tract OF land now claimed bv Young
Scgni, Of Long Island.
The missionary priest continued his
work year after year with the same
| energy that he entered upon it, but
when tho influence OF the United
States was felt throughout the pcnin-
Su!a and the Protestant faith was car
| ricd there, Il change came over Father
Scgni. For the first time in his life
| he lost courage.
AS Protestant missionaries ncarrd
| he went further and further into the
f>wilds, but showed less energy than
before. lie felt that all Of his good
work was being undOnc. For months,
and once for two years, his old friends
about St. Augustine saw or heard
nothing Of him. Then he disappeared
He was diligently sought fOr. but no
tangible c!n" To bis whcrcuDuuts could
be found. 1t was reported that Indians
had killed him; that rival missionaries
had murdered him thai he had gone
| northward into the new republic : but
all Of these theories were set aside,
and it was finally learned that lie had
gone to Havana. The information
came through one OF his brothers, who
had become a sea captain.
But at Havana all traces were lost OF
Father &2gni. Where he went from
there, or where his neglected grave is
no one knows. All that he left was
WV 'ot'.htioI ihtV l. tOllhtt, anu d
beautiful pearl crCs,, that he had
blessed and given to one Of his brothers
some time before his mysterious disap-
pearancC.
The brother VINO had the pearl cross
returned to his Spanish home. and sue
ccssfully en- barkcd in business. About
1920 he had u son, whom he named An
tonic, ana while yet a young Int.n this
son sOlG ht his fortune in the New
VOID He brought with lin the pearl
cro's II at Father Segn had blessed.
A few years aftcrward Antonio Seq
nj met s, Spanish girl whom he wOOcd
won and we'd, and as a marriage ores
cnt gave her the pearl cross. Six
years ago his wife, who had become
the mother OF tho present Antonio
Scgni, the claimant @! the Florida land,
died, and now lies buried on Long Is.
land, with the pearl cross in her life.
less hands.
"Bcfore mother died. said the
claimant, "she frequently referred to
great fortune that | would one day
have, hut never gave particulars or
the source from which it was to come.
All that knew was that she appeared
in some way to associate it with the
pearl cross that Father Segni had
blessed. | was too young at the time
to think much about it, but when Il few
years ago, my attention was called to a
notice in Spanish paper, printed in
Barcelona, that inquired after the
heirs Of Father Segni, | began to in
vcstigate, with the result Of learning
that am rightful heir to the grant.
"Of course, | have to establish my
hcirship to Father Segni, and for that
purpose / am having the old civil and
church re cords in the i5nlearic Islands
searched, through counsel, who Is nov
active in the matter. There is trouble
in getting at tho records, because OF
the confusion that resulted in moving
the capital from C!udadela to Mahon,
few years ago, but am satisfied that
J the records will establish my dcsccnt
} from Father Scgni's brother, who was
his heir.
E'All of tho o'd friends Of tho family
J know OF Father Segni when they were
, young, aud had heard of the estate in
Florida, to which, no doubt. my mother
} referred when she spoke Of tho fortune
that would be coming to mo some day
"As soon as | have copies Of the
records | will investigate the claims OF