The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-02
History of Remarkable
Blythe Litigation.
Young English Woman Gets
the Bulk of a Big Estate.
Visit From a Russian Fleet A very
Curious Ohio Community.

A reader of The News sends the follow
,ry communication IL saw.in Ihe News
the other day dispatch which saiu ti"o
Elorence Blythe was TO get snare Oh Hcr
father's estate and that the litigation over
IN had been ended. L have oiteh soeu
references TO this litigation, put nave
never been able to get cohhecteu s.",y
rac,,rdy'' Tho Blythe litigation whlvh
has inst ended was IN reference 10 the
estate of Thomas III. Blythe who dleu III
Son Francisco sixteen years ago. Two
women. each assuming 10 be MS WiuoM'
came forward To claim his fortune ea'I
mated at about 50, O0O, OOO. linen a host W
relatives revealed themselves. A nttle
rna,I,sh GIRL named Florence Blythe and
her relatives were among the first on the
tisjd BIythes friends had often hearu
him talk of his little daughter In Eng
land n took the California courts seven
ar eight years TO get the case reauy luI
trial. A special law had TO be passeu 70
make the trial OF the suit possible. Ohuer
this law Florence Blythe brought SUIT
agairst ALI the other claimants, among
whom were Alice Edith Dickason anu
Nellie Firmin. each of whom claimed 10
be Blythe's widow.
Than there were all the members OF the
numerous branches OF the Blythe lainlIy
The whole question 10 De settieu Wos
whether or not Blythe had re lily adopted
Florence as his daughter. Letters were
mt in evidence TO prove that no hau anu
the trial lasted over year. nc ueyislpn , III
was i'm favor of the little English girl' VINO
was ia wears old when tho trial ended,
in 1890. The other claimants appealed inc
case and IL has been In the courts ever
since. In 1892 Miss Blythe who really
had no money, but aid not want Tor
funds. was married TO Fritz HincRley,
a moor. but hard working clerk. Hihckiey
died about four months ago. oh 1ne ;ivn
inst Chief Justice Fuller OF the Unlteu
states Supreme Court announced the
dismissal of the writ of error In the case.
This gives Florence Blythe Hinckley the
fortune in question.
An old sailor, who was on the BAN
bridge and the Frigate Niagara during
tho war recalls the fact that In Septem-
ber. 1863 Russian fleet consisting OF
five ships of war. under tho command OF
Admiral Lesoffsky, came Into New YORK
harbor. At that time we were making
earnest protests against the assistance
offered by the British navy TO the cause
Of the confederacy and 1t was generally
supposed that the Russian admiral had
orders to place his fleet at the service OF
the United States government in case OF
war with England. However that may
he, there has never been any OFFICIAL ac-
knvwledgment or denial OF that report
Another possible explanation OF the
matter is that as Russia was herself
threatened with war at that time by
Great Britain and other powers she die
NOT wish. in the event of war, to have
her vessels blocked up in various ports,
as they had been during the Crimean war.
This incident, it Is we'll 10 explain, was
not the beginning Of the friendship be
tween the United States and Russia
which, on the contrary, has existed from
the foundation of our government Il
was exhibited plainly as early as liI5
In that year the King OF England solicited
Catharine III of Russia TO hire to him I
portion of her troops for the subjugatioI
OF the colonies. She rejected the proposn
with evident scorn, showing very plainl,
her friendship for America and sayinI
III iu would he absurd for two groa
monarchies 10 join forces simply In orde
''to calm . rebellion which Is not Q slpporte,
by any foreign power. The friendship
between the two countries has romance
unbroken ever since.
At Amish in Holmes county, OH o
there Is community that meets Bn
Inrersoll's idea OF Atlantis. Tee ar
no churches and no ministers in the com
munity, which consists Of 10, 600 or 20, 60
souls, residing on l60-acre farms Ever
member of the settlement Is a producer
Religious meetings are held, but the
are at the homes of various mem bers
not at regularly established meeting
places. Draft horses, the best I'm tn
country. come from Amish. The custom
OF the people are primitive in their sim
plicity. No one ever thinks of knockiu
nc neighbor's door; they just walk in
Travellers who come through the commu
nifty are taken in and entertained d
literal interT r 81 ati IN of the scriptural in
junction, and no one Is permitted to rt
oeive pay for the entertainment Ih
most curious Of the customs of this pecu
liar people Is that relating TO its womer
Married women wear black caps. hos
who are engaged 20 TO church in brow
headgcar, while he young girls proolaii
me TACT that tneif affections arc discr
gagged py dainty white bonnets. 1hei
is considerable sense at the bottom OF TN
quaint costume and the social joalouslt
aud neart- burnings Of other towns al
SAID To be practically unknown TO Amisi
A naturalist named Spoon asserts tn;
the muskrat when Obliged 20 go bCneat
the ice from one side 10 the other of
uond has n cilriOug mode of taking nlon