The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-02-19
How Irish Heirs Have Been
Fooled by the Hundreds.
AN ATTORNEY UNDER FIRE
The Postoffice Authorities Are In
vestigatDg-Da Fitzgerald, of
Albany, y. Y, said to Have Started
the Fraud-McMahon Reported to
Have Died without Relatives.


Just now, it is said, their attentions are di-
rected TO a nan named David c. Fitzger-
aid, lawyer, and claim agent, Of Albany,
n. Y. The estate, according to the fabri-
cation, Is said to amount to 81 ), 900 600
and was left by william Jack Nc
Mahon, VINO was reported TO have died in
this city i'll 1892, while on his way home
to Ireland from Australia. He left no viii
and named no heirs. RUmor had it that
he had relatives in the counties of Cork,
Clare and Limerick, Ireland Since the
first publication Of the fable, these rela-
tives have materialiZed 10 the number Of
several hundreds.
Letters from ireland and this country
have been addressed by the score to lawyers
and others In this city, The pUrport of
the letters has been that the writer be
Iieves herself-most OF the writer's were
women-the heir OF the Mcmahon who
died in Washington in 1892, leaving e.
600 900 to his next kin, inasmUch as the
writer's uncle or grandfather or cousin OF
the like was william Mcmahon; that said
uncle or grandfather went out to Australia
q great many years ago, usually in the
early 4Os; that the writer had often heard
there, and once or twice that ne was dead
Not until she had learned from the Dublin
Daily Telegraph or the Cork Daily Herald
that william Mcmahon, late OF Australia,
had died in Washington, while on his way
back to Ireland. did she know what had
become OF her relation. Several lawyers
had offered to take up the case when she
had made a slight advance, she said, but
she had no money 70 advance.
Investigation readily proves that the
"McMahon estate is in the same cata-
logue propably with the Anneke Jams claim
and the Edwards claim in New York, the
''Longworth claim in Cincinnati, and the
TOuneley claim in Louisville These claims
are put out and engineered by claim law
yers, who work upon the Credulity OF their
clients in this country and abroad. The
Rev. q Howard, manager Of the Amer
lean Claim A gencyi in London and the Euro
pean Claim Agency in New York. has been
sentenced to long term in prison for en-
gaging in such enterprises
The Mcmahon claim first became widely
noticed in Ireland last summer and fan.
In the Cork Herald and the Dublin Teie-
graph appeared notices Of a commission
that had been issued from Sydney, Aus
traiia, to take evidence to establish the
death and identity OF William Jack
Mcmahon, who was said to have died in
Washington on his way back To Ireland
The name of David c. Fitzgerald, Of the
Tweddlc building, Albany, was mentioned
in many of the paragraphs
one Of these paragraphs reads as follows;
Frederick SymOns, counsel for the Cofk
and Limerick claimants, is an Australian
and very able lawyer, possessing per
sonal knowledge Of the deceased and bis
affairs. Noless noteworthy is his associate,
Counsel David {. Fitzgerald one OF New
York's brightest lawyers and an orator
of ability, whose able defense OF the Irish
people and the Catholic Church, in bril-
liant speech before Congress a short time
ago. is still fresh in the pubic mind He
is "a native Of County Limerick, Ireland
1t will be observed that this is trading on
the name and fame OF Congressman John F.
Fitzgerald Of Massachusetts, who did last
year make such an address "a is here de
scribed in the House Of Representatives.
David c. Fitzgerald is not a member Of
Congress
1t was regularly repeated in these stories
that so far as known Mcmahon had left no
will, so that his property would be Oh
vided among those who should prove their
claim and title through blood relationship.
Every reader OF these Irish newspapers who
had once had a relative named William
McMahon was interested. Many Of them
wrote to. Fitzgerald asking for InfOTma-
ton He replied with letters admitting
that he did have certain information
about the Mcmahon estate, bat that he
really could not undertake 10 furnish in
formation about il unless the expense Of
preparing and transmitting the infOrma-
ton was paid by those who wantedit.
About the middle Of last summer Mr.
George w Carr, a New York city lawyer
became interested in the case in behalf Of
an Irish client The firm name Of Atkins
& Burch. of this city. was mentioned IN
connection with the litigation. The only
attorney of the name in this city is Mr..
Joseuh l.. Atkins, No. $50 F street. Mr..
Carr addressed Mr.. Atkins. rehearsinE his
experience with Mr.. Fitzgerald, saying
that he would be pleased to know whether
Mr.. Atkins was about 20 appear before the
Supreme Court. asstatcd in theCOrkHeTalfr
adding that if Mr.. Atkins was so TO appear
he had no doubt but that the interests OF
Alice Golwav and the other Clare claim
ants were identical.
Mr.. Carr proposed that in such case
he and Mr. Atkins join forces. Mr.. Atkins
replied by making an appointment for an
interview in this city. The appointment
was not kept, and Mr Atkins wrote TO the
New York lawyer that the reason he had
asked for an interview was that 'he had
at one time some dealings with one Fitz-
gerald" he added that he was not con
cerned in the case of the Mcmahon legacy
After further correspondence with Fitz-
gerald and others, Mr. Carr lost interest
in the case also, but he and other American
lawyers had been well advertised in the
Irish newspapers. Some of thisadyertising
was done in the following letter sent from
Albany to the Cork Herald: The contest
over the McMahon millions has been trans
ferred from America to ustralia, where
almost the entire estate is located. Ike
proceedings in America in connection with
the matter closed with the taking o? evi-
dence of the identity and death of the de
ceased William Jack Mcmahon, who in
1892 died n Washington, ID C., on his way
to Ireland from Australia.
1.-The identity of the deceased, as estab-
lished in America, rests entirely upon
statements made by himself Immediately
prior to his death, to the effect that he was
horn in Tullaease, county Cork in 1872 or
1923, and emigrated to Aust ALA in 1913,
and soon after to America, where he re-
NAMED until about 1856, returning then
to Australia. Otherwise little is known
with certainty as to the identity OF the de-
ceased; even the counsel for the Cork
claimants fail to account for several years
a - ar or,t trooI-s IN his caraar Thov