The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-26
UNCLAIMED ESTATES.
Laws Concerning Inheritance IN
Holland, France and Germany.
Method of Procedure That Must d
Adopted by Ciaimants-Several Hun
dred Courts HcIdag Estates
In Trust.

Holland is another country where II
Is supposed by many Americans that
vast estates, from the value of S12, oO0,-
900 down, have been lying unclaimed
for the last 300 years, and that nothing
is ne oeSsary but to demand them at
some probate Office. For the last II
years the American legation at The
Hague has notified claimants, either
directly or through the department of
state. that there are no probate courts
in Holland and that wills are generally
deposited in the care of the notary who
draws them up. He makes duplicate
copy, and enters the title and subject
matter under a number in his register,
which Is examined and verified by the
registrar once month. 1t is evident,
where names, dates and localities are
lacking, as is generally the case in the
CONN, unications of claimants, that,
after the lapse of one or two genera
tions, estates can be found only, if at
al, by expensive advertising. In 1852
the Dutch parliament established a
state commission for the settlement
persons, as well as those against the
govei ument. This commission gave
notice that all claims to property then
in their hands must be sent in within
five years and six months, after which
time such estates would escheat to the
state. The great estate sought for in
Holland is that of a Gen Metzgar, who
died about 200 years ago. leaving, as
is currently supposed, some s12, oO0, 600.
One OF the claimants admitted TO eur
minister at The Hague that if ordinary
interest were added to the principal OF
this claim, all the European govern
ments together would be unable to pay
it, but that she was willing to wait
for the interest.
Our embassy in Paris does net give
the ranes of any claimants Of estates.
but says that the number of inquiries
is large, and that in no case has the ex-
lstence of the supposed estate or of the
unclaimed fortune been verified. The
of France is such as to dis
pose efectually and without appeal OF
all claims, even if inherently just and
founued on an actual and known her
itaSe, which were not presented and
proven within the period prescribed by |
the french statute of limitations. Un. |
der French law the liquidation of es.
tates is ordinarily in the hands of a |
notary, and in searching for an estate |
the usual method is to address a circu,'
lar letter to every notary in the city and +,
department where the tate il likely to |
be, giving the name and date of death |
of the original owner. When there is
no landed estate the heirs at law can
divide the property among themselves
legal proceedings. If nobody
claims an estate, the state takes it in
trust, and the department. of Justice in
serts notices of the fact in the official
journal. The period of prescription
as regards unclaimed estates is 30 years
from the date of decease, after which all
Claims ore barred, unless some irregu>
arity in the liquidation can be proven.
In Germany there is likewise n
statute of limitations, and there, too,
not case is known to our embassy
where the existence of an unclaimed as