The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-15
WON A FORTUNE
Story Of Louis Hahn's Fight
for a Million in Ger
many.
CARRIED ON FOR THREE YEARS
His Sister Flooded With
Offers of Marriage From
Adventures.

T,ouis Hahn. of No. Ill Vaudeville ave-
nue.. this city. has returned to his nome
after an absence of three years IN Ger
many fighting for a fortune OF Sl'Voo,VU
which rightly belongs to him and ms
sisters and brothers. After fighting the
case step by step through nearly every
court in Germany and wearing hlmseil
out under the terrible strain OF constant
litigation and the attendant hard WORK.
he has won. and in a few months will pc
independently wealthy. The fortune VIII
be equally divided between Mr.. Ham,
Mrs. John Vantine, No. 20 Clendenny ave
nue.: Emma, Bell and Mary Hahn, un-
married. of No. 1910 linton avenue, ana
Abraham Hahn, bachelor, Willis avenue
and bath street, New York.
Tn story of the Hahn fortune IS a
romantic one. 1t was left by LOUIS
Hirschfeld, a cousin to the Hahns, VINO
died in Berlin seven years ago. leaving
81, 900, 900 and no will. Prior to his death
he had often expressed the intention OF
leaving his entire fortune to his American
.ousins, who were the only relatives ne
had with whom he was on friendly terms
and c~orresponded regularly. Miss Emma
Hahn, the oldest of the sisters. was a par
ticular favorite. The three sisters visited
him a few months before his death ana
he discussed with them the provisions OF
the will he proposed to draft. He dieo
suddenly. however, without disposing OF
his property. His relatives on. TINS sloe
of the water consisted of the five already
named and one other brother, Isaac. The
Hahns thought themselves the only heirs
10 the property, but it was not many
davs after the death of the millionaire
when six cousins from his fathers side
of the house put in a claim for his for
tune and disputed the claim of the Hahns,
whose father was his mothers brother
From that time to the present there has
been a bitter fight between the Hirsch-
fields and the Hahns.
The Hirschfields in order to establish
their right to the entire fortune, denied
the identity of the Hahns, claiming hat
they were imposters. They claimed that
Hvmen Hahn, their father, was ship
wrecked while on his way to America
and persisted in midocean, before any OF
them could have been born. On that and
other claims they took the case through
every court of appeal in Germany.
Miss Emma Hahn, when seen by a
reporter for 1.-THE News" in her home,
at No. 1,O7o linton avenue, last night,
explained on what the Hirschfields based
their lain MY father" she said,
twas Hymen Hahn. He came to this
country in 1887, In a sailing vessel. The
vessel in which he secured passage and
in which it was thought by many of his
friends that he had sailed was ship
wrecked and all aboard were lost. Luck
liz for my father some of his relatives
kept him with them so long that ne
lust missed the boat and had to follow
In the next vessel. When my cousin left
his fortune. several of his cousins. about
whom we had scarcely ever heard a
word, suddenly put in an appearance
and when we made our claim for q
share of the fortune they resurrected the
old story of the shipwreck. we submit
ted proof Of our parentage, however, ana
beat them at every point. Their supter-
fuge failed"
The fate which Hymen Hahn escaped
in 1887 befell his son, Isaac, in 1880, wheh
he was returning home from
after having fought for and almost Sc
cured the fortune of Louis Hirschneld.
He was the first to take up the nght IN
the interests of himself and his brother
and sisters. He went to Germany soon
after the death of Millionaire Hirschfleld
and successfully fought every point ao-
vanced against him by the Hirschneias-
He had prepared large numbers OF I'M
portant documents bearing on the case.
On January 80, 1885, he was returning
home on the Elbe. to secure a paper
which was necessary to use in the final
argument of the case, when he persisted
in the terrible disaster. He had most
of the valuable papers in the case with
him. and they were lost. Many OF the
papers had been made out in duplicate
and copies of them were on file in Ann
erica and Germany. Som of the most
important, however. went to the bottom
of the Atlantic, and the work OF nearly
three years had to be done over again.
Louis Hahn took up the work, wnere
his brother had left off and set about TO
replace the evidence. He employed as MS
counsel in this country John A. Mccall,
who prepared all the documents necessary
the claimants. On December 3. 1895, the
case was prepared as best it could be on
this side of the Atlantic, and Louis sailed
for and secures Sa; a ds &c few W
months. Appeal after appeal was taken
by the other side, however, and the case
dragged along until a few weeks age
when final testimony was taken on the
last appeal it is possible for the Hirsch-
fields to make. All the appeals were de-
cided in favor of the Hahns. The courts
Of Berlin have decided that the S2,0o0,90
shall be equally divided between the SIX
Hahns and the six Hirschfields- the
money will be divided in April next, when
the final decree in the case will be handed
down. Each of the Hahns will receive
about $3.50. 900.
Miss Isabelle Hahn, last night. declared
that since it became known that she and
her sisters were heiresses they had been
pestered to death with proposals OF mar
riage from all parts of the world. The
largest per cent. of the letters came from
men in Germany, who did not ask any
questions but were willing to make a
one of the Misses Hahn a wife, providing
the question of fortune was settled be-
yond a doubt. One proposal came from
Canada, and a dozen or more were from
Adventures in the United States.
Louis Hahn IS at his home seriously Ill.
The air of Berlin did not agree with him.
and his doctor ordered him horne, He IS
suffering from heart trouble. II he is
able he will return to Germany in two
months and remain there until the for
tune is divided.