The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-02
HILLS BY HUNDREDS
MR.. DIVERS .IIENTs IN FIGHT
FOR $4,000 ESTATE.
HAS FAITH IN THEIR CLAIMS.
DOES NOT FEAR MISS CLARKE's
EFFORTS.

Judge BixOn in the Same Boat With
the Rest of the Claimants for the
CaIifornian's Money, Says Mr.. Oil
ver-The Evidence Upon Which
the Savannah Claims Are Being
Prosecuted-Wiu BE a Hard Fight,
but MIR. oliver Is sanguine of
Winning 1t.
Mr.. F. NJ. Oliver, of Twiggs & Oliver,
attorneys for the Savannah claimants
of the Hill estate, was seen yesterday
relative to the claim of the Americas
relatives of the deceased prospector
who died in a Los Angeles hospital last
May, possessed of $142. 600. Mr.. Oliver
does not put much faith in the roseate
claims of Judge Hixon. who represents
Miss Celeste Clarke, the young Amer
icus woman, who claims to be the
grand niece of the eccentric old Cali
fornia gold seeker. but he has strong
hopes in the claim of his clients.
Il hope" said Mr.. Oliver, that the
young lady from Americas, whom the
Morning News account refers to, will
not, on the strength of her claim, plan
a trip to Saratoga, or an extended trip
abroad, for I fear that she would have
10 draw on her own resources.
The public administrators of the
estate has received, in ALL more than
a thousand claims to the estate. In
quiries have been received from about
four hundred relatives of a missing
man by the name of Charles Hill.
These 400 missing Charles Hills hail
from all parts of the world, principally
of course from the United States, and
especially from the Eastern states. The
administrator says that all of these re-
latives are as sure that deceased was
their missing relative as anything
could be.
All in the Same Boat.
Judge Hixon is in the same boat
that the rest of us are said Mr..
Oliver. in our Judgment all of the
claimants stand about as much chance
TO get this estate as do the Americas
heirs, especially since it is their con-
tention that Charles Hill lived in
Americas eighteen years ago. The
evidence is conclusive that Charles Hill
who died in Los Angeles on May II,
lived in California about thirty years
ago, and that subsequent to that time
he Travelled in South America and Aus
tralia 1t is hardly probable, then,
that he lived in Americas eighteen
years ago and at the same time was
a prospector in the Western states and
in Australia and South America. There
is absolutely no proof to show that he
afterward returned and came farther
east than South Dakota"
The savanRahIans' Claim.
Mr.. oliver was asked concerning the
chances of his clients for the estate.
so far as our clients are concerned,
we are in the fight to finish. We
are Just as confident If not a little
more so, than the hundreds of other
claimants, and we think that our con-
fidence is based upon positive and con-
elusive evidence, and the most con-
vincing testimony.
I'VE have in our possession pho
tograph of the deceased. taken short
time before his death. and this when
compared with other photographs of
him. the first taken in 1868, the second
in 1874, and the third in 1880. shows
tablish the claim of our clients. We
have a number of letters written by
Hill while travelling in the West,
and a comparison of these letters with
the authentic signature of the de-
ceased shows that our Charles Hill,
without a doubt, is the Charles Hill
who left the generally claimed for
tune. There are other matters of tes-
timony which for obvious reasons we
cannot make public, which will also
serve to establish our claim. There
are many others DESTROYS of securing
the cash which the eccentric prospec-
tor left. These claim that the real
name of Hill was Salem Charles. Be
sides these so called relatives, the adj
ministrator has received communica-
tons from more than six hundred
others who claim to be of different
name. but of the same family, as the
deceased. These are all confident that
they win be able to show beyond the
shadow of a doubt that the missing
relative is identical with the deceased.
All Sorts of Claims.
Some of the Claimants great
many-make bona fide claims; others
are fraudulent prima facie For an
example: There have been three wills
filed by different sets of relatives
one OF THESE cldllndnts is q SO called
nephew of deceased. The will which
he filed is in the form of a letter
from Hill, in which he makes known
his desire that all of his estate be
given to his nephew. But the trouble
with this letter is that the handwrit-
ing in no way resembles that of the
real Charles Hill. Another trouble is
that the letter is of date two days
after the death of Hill The uncon-
trovertible facts disclose the fact that
Hill was an eccentric old miser He
harded his wealth. and at the time of
his death no one dreamed that he
was so we'll to do, unless. indeed, it
was the banking house with whom he
made his deposits. He was close
calculating, methodical man. One of
the witnesses for the Savannah heirs
is authority for the statement that.
Gesnite his ...nalth .......l-l