Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-04-04
5 WcToRlA's SHARP EYE.
Dctermined That Not n Penny Shalt Escape Collection.


 zX Escape Collection.
 X The following advertisement, which 3eppears in the Herald, is the last of Smany efforts which have been made by IllQueen Victoria of England, through liner agents, for 20 years or more to ac- Souire possession of the estate of an old cotton trader. long dead, which under 2 -scurious and ancient law belongs to her; U ITO Stock Brokers and others-ln- 3 3formation wanted as to purchases of frailway and other stock or shares in &American companies on behalf of John |(Robert Turner, of Chorley, Lancashier, England, cashier (for some time resi- dent of the United States), who died in < England ill 1873; date of supposed pur- < chases uncertain. Any person afford ing information which will lead to dis coyery of such (unrealizeD investments will be suitably rewarded. Address, 1 Messrs. Hockmeyer, 127 Green street, < N. Y.''
 John Robert Turner, who was born fin the opening years of the century, is supposed to have died possessed of American securities valued at many [s4housands. but this fortune mysteri- ously disappeared at his death, and no B trace of it has ever been found, though before if was learned that the sovereign had the first claim upon it. others, who S believed themselves beirs made thor cugh search Turner, it seems, was an aillegitimate child, and, under the law mentioned, such one had no legal rela- < stives his property, therefore, when he dies intestate, as did this old man. re- verts to the duchy of Lancaster, Or, in other words. to the ruling monarch of England.
 # The duchy of Lancaster was created during the reign of Edward ILL, and in 1461 was annexed to the crown by Ed ward ", to be held separate from all sother hereditaments, so that even to this day Lancaster is separate and { independent principality. The law af- # fecting the disposition of the estates ! ssof those not born in wedlock was framed during the same monarch's reign, more than 500 years ago.
 Messrs. HocSmeyer have nothing sto do with the matter, the advertise sment having been inserted in thelr name as a convenience to William Lees lawyer, of Chorley, Lancashire.
 Many business trips were made to this country by Turner during the war, and in the years immediately following. lie E died at his home soon after his return from one of these visits. He had never married, but his blood relations knew of his wealth. for they had seen the coupons he clipped from gilt-edged American bonds, but when they came to examine his house they found no trace Bof any valuables. At first there was nothing to show that the old man had mot passed away in utter destitution,
 but later search revealed stocks and fbonds, all i'll English companies, worth about $10,000. and these were seized in
 the name of the queen. Lancashire Ilawyer disappeared suddenly about the ltisne of Turner's death, and some have
 thought he absconded to Australia with
 the missing property.
 By the time the agents of the crown were aroused to action in the matter
 the cottage where Turner died had passed into other hands, but it was quiet < lv leased by clerk named Twemlow, in Mir. Lees employ, and every inch of 1t was searched Even the floor boards
 were taken up and the walls gone over, but not scrap of paper was discovered The queen sewerage yearly income from the duchy is about $500, ,000.-N. Y Herald