The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-05-16
BANKER HAHN'S
FAT ESTATE
The American Heirs Trying TO Es-
tablish their Claims.
CUSTOM RECORDS
Agsnts From Germany In New York
kofhiog Up Evidence Of the
Family History.
CUSTOM RECORDS

Now York, May 1.-THE World this
morning says
Every morning punGuaily at . O'Clock
during the past week. a man ana II
woman have appeared at the william
avenue entrance ~ the custom house
and have hurried a. the record room
he moment the doors were unlocked.
There, dny Ia and day out. they busy
th"insrlyen amid thr muAty mass ~
nanfevts whioh have been accumu.
it,ing there ever since Uncle Sam ffEt
began 10 collect customs revenues. The
mans lnbonUuH work Il 10 establish The.
claim ~ an American family % the
fortune ~ II Berlin banker who dio.;
iDtestate several years ago. Il ls said.
."tvi!ig aa estate valued at 200. 900
marks, one Of the srarchcra II a rfp-
icseaihtivc from the Office % Lawyer
edward Mccall OF New York. The
woman In believed % be- the agent OF
u Berlin lawyer. They left Berlin h
the early part Of 1887. one II Heyman
Hahn. He came 10 America To- make
his fortune. Upon HIS arrival in New
York hr opened a small tobacco shop
20 the swamp" lie proapcred Ia
1888 he was married 90 Mary Busky.
Hahn being n Hebrew. the marriage
took place In an East Side synagogue
aud The marriage certificate was given
To II Miaa Bertha May. friend ~ the
bri'ie,swho was the only witness 10 the
wedding A few years went by and
llhhn'a business Increased vastly and
hts little shop gave way to larger
establishment. Finally ne became one
NJ the leading tobacco merchants In the
swamp" as well as editor Of one u
the FIRST tobacco trade Journals In New
York.
when Hahn dird IN 1876 h. left
comfortable little fortune 20 his Ave
children. and bis two suns. Isaac ani
Louis. continued the business. But n
few OF his friends ever knew that he
was a rylSuve of the great banker
Hirschnold OF Berlin.
About four years aso Louis Hirsch-
ncid. thr banker of Berlin. died intes.
tate. leaving "A large fortune and an
advertisement was published asking for
information as 10 his relatives AMI
Isaac Hahn. the elder son Of the tobac-
90. t,..Vssh.Tf t.it-,fps. frgt, yr,,f la
hir poss,V'sion tha; the banker was his
fathers cIuSin. the lawyer Mccall got
Governor Flower interested In the case.
by advice of MIR Mccall young Hahn
engaged as counsel Dr. Won Simpson
and DR. Alfred Gotthelf. two eminent
lawyers In Berlin. and suit was brought
Tor the fortune. To defeat the Amer
lean heirs. English and German claim
ants denied the legality Of Hahn's mar
riaec
Lawyer Mccall found living In Brook
lyn Bertha May. the only witness TO
the ceremony and just as II seemed 10
bo decidedly In favor OF Isaac Hahn
he was summoned 10 this city TO look
after his busincss interests. The steam |
cr he sailed on was the Elbe. the story |
OF whose loss two days later made the |
whole world mourn Hahn had with |
MIN many papers Of great importance |
In the suit. ANA they OF course were
lost with him.
Louis Hahn, the sorrowing brother,
Is now fighting the case In the trial now
IN Berlin. The English and German
claimants concede the legality Of the
Hahn Busky marriage. but deny the le-
gltIm@cy OF the children, Moreover,
the claimants contend tht the heirs OF
the father was not Hyman Hahn. the
cousin OF Banker Hlrschneld, who came
here In 1887. but one Heinrich Hahn
who came I'm 1888 on the ship ST, Louis.
The manifest OF the 81. Louis, It is be-
lieyed. Is what the two record-search-
ers are, among other things, problns
for. as we'll as the passenger list Of the
ship In which Hyman Hahn came TO
this country, and which ;, is said was
mentioned In the papers lost In the
Elbc.