The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-10-05
$4,000, 900 To GREET HIM.
Missing Heir to q Big Fortune Found
After Six Years. Search for Him,


After Six Years. Search for Him.
The romantic story Of the search for
Philip Shellbin found it's elimination last
week when, after a quest, enduring for
more than half dozen years. the law
yers who vainly sought this much wanted
heir to great fortune were enabled to
learn of the whereabouts of their pros
pective client.
Philip Shellbin is the third son of
Halifax ship owner and lumber king. In
his Grant youth he sowed profuse wild
oats from Nova Scotia to San Francisco.
Fifteen years ago his father died, leav-
ing his immense fortune in trust for his
sons, but with the restriction that Philip
should not enter into possession of his
own during the lifetime of his brothers.
or until he himself should attain so years
which doubtless his father looked upon as
the age of discretion. paltry 81 900 to be
paid to Philip through his eldest brother
on Christmas day in each year was the
only allowance granted him from his mil
lion in trust. The natural accretions of
the fund were to be added to the princi-
pal until the provisions of the will had been
accomplished.
This was in 1884 Young shellbin was
then Is years old. He took his disap-
poitment resignedly and learned the art of
stenography as a means of livelihood. Once
year he INDUCED in Respondent spree,
spent his $1,000 in a week and went to
work again. In 1887 he entered the SER
vice of the Burlington road in the general
offices and two years later held the re-
spectacle position of private secretary to
the general manager, e. P. Ripley, now
president Of the Sante Fee system.
One day in 1889 he suddenly resigned his
post and disappeared from Chicago. Later
he was heard from in Memphis, where he
did some clever newspaper work on the
ov0v1 nhn. f14y, 11 - n-l>
held position on the Picayune for two
years, and in the summer of 1893 dropped
quite out of sight. Since that time he
has made no demand for his annual al
lowance nor did any of his kindred or their
representatives ever hear of his where
abouts until few days ago.
Both Of Philip Shellbin's brothers were
lost at sea in 1893. The fortune held
in trust for the young man became abso-
lutely his under the terms of his fathers
will. Since then the executors have vainly
secured the world in search of him or the
proof of his death. AS the million in trust
gradually grew toward two, the anxiety of
the executors to find the missing heir
redoubled They expended thousands of
dollars in their search and at times seemed
to find traces of the lost heir. Yet in
the end these clews all led to nothing.
Charley Ross himself was not more of a
will-o'-the- than Philip Shellbn.
Last Monday two agents of the trustees,
one lawyer and one a detective, came to
Chicago in pursuit of one of these I'M
promising clews. 1t proved as elusive as
those gone before and the Nova Scotians
were about to return to Halifax, when the
suggestion was made that if Shellbin was
not concealing his identity under an alias
and was still alive and in this country, it
was possible that the comprehensive collec-
ton OF city directories owned by the Lake
side Directory company, publishing Chica-
COS own directory, Would disclose his name.
Although looked upon as in the nature of
forlorn hope, this idea was eagerly seized.
Arrangements were made with the Messrs.
Donnelley and with Ia force of clerical asa
sistants, the men from Halifax set them
down to the task of Searching ton or two
of directories printed in every important
city In the union forSsix years back.
They worked backEard and in 1899 and
1898 drew blanks But there it was in
black and white, in the Seattle directory OF
1897: -.
sHELLB1N, PHILIP; aenographer, BIDS.
Tacoma house.
Fancy how hot theVwircs were made then.
Telegraph tolls were expended With lavish
hand. Yes, the Tacoma house responded,
She1lbin had lived there in the spring Of
1897. A description telegraphed from Chi
cago was verified in every particular. Yes.
that was the man, but he had gone up to
the Klondike. That was all that was
known Of him. No word has come back. Il
This was little, but it was more than had
been uncovered Heretofore In six long
years of search. The agents wired the
news to Halifax and received Instructions to
proceed ct once to Seattle for further in
formation.
And as they were setting forth, came hot.
from the wire a telegram that the long
hunted for heir had jtyt turned up In Sc
attic on boat from the North. There was.
an eager interchange Of Information. and
now on a special train the absent prodigal
is speeding Eastward over the Northern
Pacihc to meet In Duluth the anxious rep
resentativ0sa who VII, s1nr q -sensss place In