The San Francisco call., 1897-03-11
BIC STORIES OF VEAL I'll
Bogus Yarns About the Estates
of Dead Califor.
mans.
Foreign Heirs Seem to Think Their
Relatives Are Bound to Leave
Immense Fortunes.

Judge Coffee was yesterday in receipt OF
letter from Irea and asking about the
estate of John Tucker, deceased, which
was reported by the British newspapers to
be worth 100000. 1t was also said that
there were no heirs in America and that
if he had any kinfolks in Ireland, the
country of his nativity, they might as well
declare their identity and pick up the for
tune that awaited them.
All these matters were published at large
by the newspapers of Belfast, with COM
ments on the good fortune of Mrs. A. M.
Egan. Mrs. Elizabeth Quigley and William
Tucker, who had established their claims
to be next of kin.
Judge Coffey replied to the inquiries by
referring the correspondents to the records
in the County Clerks office, where it ap-
pears that the estate of John Tucker is
worth less than $40 COO and that the widow
of the deceased Is in possession OF the
property, with family allowance of $100
month.
Incidentally the noted case of Guglielmo
Martini was referred to in the following
words:
Many letters have been received touching
the succession of one Guglielmo Martini of
Italian or SlaTonian origin, whereby it ap-
pears that q statement has been published in
various European newspapers to the effect
that q person of that name had died in San
Francisco recently, leaving an estate amount
ing to $170,00 900, and suggesting that the
writer's of the letters were entitled 10 share
the erein as heirs.
The records OF this court have been exam
ined to ascertain if any person OF that name
has died leaving a succession OF any value
whatever. No such name appears on the index
of successions; and it is not probable that any
person OF that name resident here has died,
whether possessed of fortune or not. 1t is
further impossible that any one possessed of
so great an amount of wealth. whether of the
name OF Martini or not, could have passed
away in San Francisco or California or else
where in the United States without the fact
The Judge of the Superior Court cannot un-
derlake to reply specially to all the inquiries
that may be directed to him, but suggests that
comm munications from residents abroad be ad-
dressed through the proper consular repre-
sentatives here, who are, rs the court takes
this occa sion to say, competent and vigilant
I in the line of their duties and as q rule CON-
municate promptly to their respective Gov
ernments any facts touching the SUGGESTIONS
of aliens within their jurisd diction as soon as
such SUGGESTIONS are opened
It appears that whenever man who
was born abroad dies in California his re-
lations in the land Of his nativity assume
that he left large fortune, and the orig
inal stories OF his wealth grow as they
pass from mouth to mouth. un til they grow
to enormous proportions, as they did In
the fcticious estate of Guglielmo
Martini, where the court records show that
no such person ever left property in this
State subject to probate proceedings. II
an estate worth $17O,000000 had been on
tap in California it is safe to say there
would have been claimants enough to
double the population of the State. Even
in the Blythe case, with only a measly
81 000,0 900 to fight for, an army of pre-
tended relatives appeared on the scene,
bar at one time or another held briefs in
the litigation that followed.