The San Francisco call., 1898-05-03
Life History of Peter
 Christensen, Who ;. Died Rich.
His Estate to Be Settled Up With a Minimum of
 Litigation.
Only One Woman Was Ever Kno wrl to Have Been Seen on
 His Ranch.
Oakland ofice San Francisco Call,

sos Broadway, May ?.
 Rarely has & large estate, over which hung all the clements of bitter and ex- pensive contest, been settled more quietly or more prosaically than that of Peter Christensen, a hermit of San Joaquin County, who died several months ago.
 Chrtstensen's life, while not particular ly romantic. has been one of interest from the time he was left a little orphan boy on the island of Islen, in Germany, to the time he died, leaving property valued at S150 900 in this and San Joaquin counties. The old man, so far as ce, be ascertained, |, did not leave a will, although it is said one was drawn up some years ago. But he left four heirs in Germany and a friend near Haywards. if true, shows that the deceased evidently intended to leave him a goodly legacy.
 William Krough, who has just learned the addresses and names of the German heirs, lives on a ranch in Castro Valley, about i've miles from Haywards. He is perhaps the only living man that knows the history of Christensen, and if he were not so unselfsh and philosophical the way would not be difficult for him to ere . ate much trouble for the deceased's s rela- lives. As it is, Trough has agreed to a very easy solution of the distribution of
 My father and Peter Christensen first became friends in Germany many years ago, Salu MT. ATOuSh at HIS Idllcil yeS- 'terday. My father has often told me the story, and so has Christensen, of how the former found little Peter, an orphan, and befriended him. My father took him into his house and they were constant com paniOns, or perhaps it is more truthful to say that Peter was like one of the family until my father died. In the early seF- eRties my father and Christensen came to California, and on their arrival they set tied in Alameda County. Christensen . lived here and worked for my father for many years, and afterward went to Stockton. He was very careful, thrifty man, and as soon as he arrived at Stock ton he commenced to deal in horses and ~ cattle and il was not long before he had a little place Of his own. While he was living with us, 1 have many times heard him say that he intended to leave to our family anything he might own at the time of his death. He preferred a single life to being married, and lived up to llS preference all his life. We were always Acquainted with the fact that he had ~ some cousins living in Germany, and was the first one to notify them O1 hlS death and that no will was found. have - since received letters from them, and now their interests are in the hands or AtIor- neys Budd and Thompson of Stockton.
 "Christensen was in some respects peculiar man. He was great worker and : lie was carelessly generous. He would entertain any one that came % his ranch ard would beg Of them to stay few days. He seemed to have but one article in his creed and it was that anybody who asked for anything needed 1t more than he did, and he generally gave 1t.
 ."He never showed the least desire for the -companionship of women, and the on his place was when my mother would go there occasionally and fix up his house for him. Christensen often had large quantities of money on hand, and hid 1t