The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-12-06
STORY OF UNCERTAINTY.
Is Thomas e. Coffin Really Dead, or
Still Alive?

Is Thomas e. Coffin still alive or
has his body been slowed away in one
of the uncanny things which his name
the worms? This question some Of
his friends and especially his father,
who resides at Dillon, this state, would
like very much to have answered in a
satisfactory manner.
If he is fortunate enough to have
escaped the summons of the feather
weight wielder of the sythe and should
he see this article Coffin VIII probably
be surprised to learn that an effort
is now on foot to have him legally de-
clared dead. Had he not at one time
been possessed of property the little
formality which has been inaugurated
in the district court of this county
would probably never have found a
| place on the records, but as he left a
| ty those who would be the ~benficiaries
should his death be authenticated by
the courts have seen fit to make the
| effort and unless sufficient proof to
the contrary is furnished at the proper
time Thomas may be declared a cor
pus deficit whether he underwent ,le
pus deficit, whether he underwent the
| stage of non-existence or not.
A petition for letters of %administra-
ton of the estate of the supposed de-
cedent has been filed with the clerk
of the court by H. ]. Thompson. Con-
trary to the usual form the petitioner
does not recite the death of the per-
son who is supposed to have left an es-
tate, but merely sets forth the fact
] that thu o,,rrNca11u 1oo1 MON form or
ly resided in this county and made
his home here from 1886 until about
1900, when he left and since which
time none of his relatives has seer
or heard of him and they believe him
to be dead. Continuing, the petitioner
recites that at the time of disappear
ance Coffin was the owner of real es-
tate in this county of the value of ST..
900, and that the next of kin of the
presumably dead man is his father
who under the ordinary course would
be entitled to letters, but that the faith
er valves his right and asks the court
to appoint the petitioner administra.
tor. Here the matter ends so far as
Mr.. Thompson is concerned, but there
is more to the story.
From Mr.. Jacobs, one of the county
NOAAAA4ooAOAClS VIII hAC" SOLlA pei
sonally, The Gazette learns that he
saw a man who claims to have seer
and spoken to Coffin at Dillon no long
er than about 18 months ago and thai
at that time he was very far from be
ing a dead man, in fact his health
seemed to be exceptionally good anl
he gave promise of remaining on eartl
for a much longer time to come. Mr.
Jacobs further says that when Cofi1
left he appointed one Shannon as hi:
agent and turned over several heat
of horses to him with instruction:
to care for them. This Shannon dit
and bred the horses and handled then
in every respect as he would his own
He also looked after Cofin's ranch t,
the extent of paying the taxes on i
for some time. Finally, however, h,
sold the horses and as shown by tn,
records in the treasurer's Office tn
taxes on the land were paid this yea
by a man at Dillon, named T. M. Sci
way.
, Papers on file with the county clerl
t and recorder show that the land wa
!, bought by Selway October 20, last, a
2 sheriff's sale, presumably or a fore
closure of mortgage, but of this j
cannot be spoken with absolute Gel
tainty. At all events, the sale wa
made under stress, as is evidence
by the fact that the sheriff was tn
seller. Whether the father of tn
missing man is ware of the latter Gil
cumstance is not known, but the SUI
position is that he is fully cognizan
. and that he in attempting to have al
administrator appointed for his SON
estate is but taking the first steps /
: the direction OF recovering the lant
title to which at present rests wit
. Selway. AS for the story itself, it /
{ an unusual one and much strange
a than some of the many strange one
that continually develop in the pr,
| cesses Of the courts Of the land.