The record-union., 1896-06-01
FANNY HINKLEY'S ESTATE.
Charley Brown Stands the Best Chance
to Get Il.
But There Are Several Other Claim
ants-Bills Against the
Estate.

A New Orleans correspondent of an
Eastern paper, writing of the contest
over the estate of Fanny Brown Hink-
ley-S Smith Mills Sweet of that city says:
Fanny Hinkley Mills, called Fanny
Minerva Seymour by some and better
known as Fanny Sweet, starved to death
in misery and privation at her home in
this city last January with $4,000 of
United States Government bonds in the
! Louisiana National Bank, with a check
for $3.50 on the United States Sub
Treasury under her head and with from
$4,000 to $4,000 woth of unincum
bered real estate at her command. She
cCntended to the last that she had no
! living relative.
| Since that time man has appeared
from California claiming to be a brother
a woman from Huntington, w. Va,
claiming to be a sister, two children
from Sedalia, Mo-, the children of Mrs.
A. Stewart, who say they are grand
children; one woman from Indiana and
another from Mississippi claiming to be
| cousins.
The story of this life, as it has now
| come to light, rivals the keeneSt of fic-
| ton. Fanny Sweet had a record of ma
| tional reputation. She lived for years
in Cincinnati, o., for years in San Fran
| cisco, Cal, for a time in Sacramento,
| Cal, where she shot man named Put
nam, for a time in Aspinwall, Central
America, in Texas in Mexico in Ha-
| vana, Cuba, for a number of years in
New York City before coming to New
| Orleans, and at one time owned an army
| of slaves.
Since Brown has presented his case
| the fact has been discovered that Mrs.
McVey, a sister, is still living, but,
| through a satisfactory understanding,
she will not contest the will through
the courts, but will be an equal sharer
with Brown in the results.
Still other claimants to this fortune
have bobbed up in the past few weeks.
First came petition from two children
living in Sedalia, Mo, claiming to be
the grandchildren of Mrs. McVey, but
since Mrs. McVey is still living at
Huntington, w. Va, their claim will
have no bearing Mrs. Ann Josephine
Simmons Steiunde of Yazoo City, Miss,
and Mrs. Pauline Blanche Simmons
Russell of Rockville, Ind, claim to be
cousins Of Fanny Hinkley Mills, or
Fanny NJ Seymour, through a marriage
which they allege to have taken place
with man by the name of Seymour.
This petition of heirship has been filed
with the court.
One of the best insights into the pc
culiarities of this strange life is to be
found in the character of the bills
which have been filed against the estate.
For example, the undertaken who buried
Fanny Sweet puts in a bill of 81 .40S as
the burial expenses and 5000 additional
Tor tombstone, making the under
takers bill amount to the enormous
sum of S2,OOS; six doctors attended her
and claim professional service to the
amount of So, 103; Attorney Lucien
Adams puts in claim for professional
services to the amount of $4,000; four
other local attorneys put in bills for
services said to have been rendered
during her lifetime amounting to So. $40.
various Notaries Public claim fees to
the tune of S2,175; the real estate an
praisers want 81 900 for what they did.
the commission of the Public Admins
traitor is placed at the handsome sum of
81 500; the attorney for the absent heirs
wants 1000 more; the attorneys for the
Administrator say their services were
worth $4,000; an old woman who nursed
Fanny Sweet through good portion of
| her lifetime says in a public petition
that 1t was worth 81 $50; another nurse
wants 5000, and still another doctor q SKIS
Sl,oO0 for professional services.
All these claimants have filed +bair
! bills against the estate and thew have
already begun to come to trial.
! The case of c. c. Brown. and bis owl
| 0enPn fI,nA
Hinkley Mills and her legitimate heir
will come to trial as soon as the minor
bills have been settled. The general
feeling here is that c. c. Brown is the
legitimate brother Of FANNY Sweat and
t1at the evidence which he has produced
relative 10 his own life and her famous
career cannot be combatted in legal
| testimony