The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-06-22
ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE
How Arthur Porter Discov-
cred Who He Is and
That a Legacy Had
Been Left Him.

Chancellor Mcosill in Jersey City this
morning received the report of Lawye
Washington B. williams. DR.. Gordon K.
Dickinson and J. Warren H~ardenbergh'
cashier of the Hudson County National
Bank, who were appointed a commission
to inquire into the sanity Of Arthur Por-
ter twenty-one years old, the adopted
son of James s. Northrope. OF North
Bergen. The commissioners report that
they empaneled a jury which rendered
a verdict declaring Porter to be sane and
able to manage his own affairs. The
commissioners were of the same opinion
as the jury. The trial occurred IN
Chancery Chambers yesterday AFTER
noon. The lunacy proceedings were IN
stituted by James s.. Northrope, Porter's
foster-father. They were started after
Porter had left his home and had all but
succeeded in getting possession Of an in
heritance OF 81, 800. The money was in
the hands of Porter's counsel, E. K. Sc
guine, when Northrope learned OF 1t ana
applied to Chancellor McGil for the APP
pointment of a commission. Lawyer Sc
guine held the money pending the de-
cision of the jury as to Porter's ability
to manage his own affairs. He will pay
ever the money today.
Mr.. Northrope and his wife Martha tes-
tilted to numerous alleged insane acts
committed by Porter. They had or
two other witnesses who were heard and
then Porter took the witness stand IN
his own behalf. He told a straightfor-
ward story that impressed the jury and
= Observation-Disclosures To nvhihifpd no signs
of insanity. The strongest point against
him was that his mother, an eplleptic'
died in an insane asylum. Porter, ac-
cording to his testimony, was brought up
in ignorance of the fact that he was any
other thar the natural son and legal hell
of James Northrope. He continued IN
total Ignorance of this fact until about
two years ago when he was over nineteen
wears Did. While visiting his aunt one
day he heard his aunt, a Mrs
Newman, tell a caller that he was
Susan Ellie's son. Susan Ellie is not the
name of Mrs. Northrope. so he began 10
suspect. He kept his suspicious to him.
self however. as, he testified, he Thought
Northrope would probably tell him whe
he was when he became of age. His
twenty-frst birthday passed without any
revelation from N~orthrope. Porter decid-
ed to learn for himself if his suspicious
were correct.
His opportunity came when he was
painting the house for ibis foster father
There was one room in the house tna'
he had never been permitted to enter
The door of the room vas always KEEP
locked. Porter somehow imagined thai
there must be good reason for keeping
him from the room. While paintins the
house he swung the scaffold agalns'
the window of the forbidden room ane
when nobody was looking climbed in
In a trunk he found papers showing tina
he was Arthur Porter and not North
| ropes son. The papers gave him evi'
| dence Of his adoption by Northrope a
the age of two and a half years. He
| also found something equally as import
ant. 1t was a paper setting forth tina
the Treasurer of Kings County, New
| York. had ip trust for him $500 which
| were to be paid to him when he became
of age.
He took copies of the papers and leav
ing Northrope's house engaged counse
| and started proceedings to recover hi
| inheritance. When the money was pait
over Northrope started the lunaey pro
| ceedingS.