The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-21
HEIR TO A FORT UNE
Mrs. Travers of This City
Starting for France
TO CLAIM HER SHARE
Of a Vast Estate Left by a
Deceased Relative.

| Mrs. Lucinda Travers has fallen heir
| to fortune in France and win leave for
Paris about March Is to claim her share.
| Mrs. Travers lives over 1l6 West Douglas
avenue and has been resident of this
city for twenty-one years. She is COM
paratfvely poor lady. making her living
by keeping boarders. She does not know
the exact amount Of her share. but she
has been advised by her French lawyers
that it will be in the neighborhood Of
| $685. 600.
The fortune of Sanford Burdette, Mrs
| Travers' grandfather amounts to many
( millions, in real estate near the French
capital and In government bonds all
! other securities, and there is also a
! considerable sum of money in q bank
! there. Mr.. Burdette died many years ago
and the estate has never been divided
/ because all OF the heirs could not be To-
Gated. There We're eight children II
I his family. Some of these came to Amer
! lea and some went TO other countries.
Mrs. Travers mother was born while
! 1dr. Burdette and his wife were making
a tour of America. She moved to this
country and it might be said that she
was raised here. She married & Penn
| sylvania German and they moved to
Iowa, where nine children were born to
them. These are now scattered over the
United States, but all of them are liv-
ing. They viii come in for share of
the estate. Mrs. Travers VIII be accom-
panied TO France by her brother, and
they viii act for all the members of the
family.
The estate of Mr.. Burdette has been ac-
cumulating rapidly for the past thirty
years and the attorneys in charge of
the matter state that it is now more
than three times as valuable as at the
time Of the owners death. as the bonds
have been bringing good interest and
the real estate has returned a good sum.
This has been invested in real
tate bonds and securities, and this &C
counts for the large amount of money and
property which awaits the claimants.
There are about 100 heirs to the estate,
which indicates that it is worth ten mil
hon dollars, if each is to receive the
amount the attorneys say they will re-
ceiVe. These men have been trying to
locate the heirs for some time but ii
is within the last ten months that they
have been able to do so, and they expect
TO have the estate settled up within
the year
A reporter for the aEgIe talked with
Mrs. Travers yesterday about her good
fortune She said:
i have some little property in this city
and have about disposed Of this. so il
will be off my mind when l go. l got
a letter few days ago from my brother,
saying that he would be ready TO start
in a few weeks and asking if l could go
with him, so it is about settled that We
Will leave here about the middle of next
that l was an heir several months ago
and the attorneys have been working TO
get the heirs notified so the estate could
be settled and they have lately asked me
to come to Paris for final settlement.
LAS soon as this is completed. 1 shall
return to this city and invest the money
in Wichita property. I have been here
too long not to come back and l think
this is about as good d place to invest
as any In the country. The attorneys
state that the greater part Of the estate
is in cash or securities that can be con-
verted into cash in a short time and 1t
is likely that we viii return with the
money In our possession.
L have known of this estate of which
was an heir ever since my mother died.
but the attorneys have been working on
it to find the heirs SO long that l had
almost given up hope of getting IL until
was too old to enjoy it, and the news |
that it would be settled within a year |
greatly surprised me. / have not talked |
about this thing very much. for il seemed |
as if | never would get it. SO my friends |
viii be considerably surprised at the |
turn the affair has taken. and the an |
nOuncement that i would be pretty we'll |
TODD in a short time if the estate could /
be settled satisfactorily. ] think l will I
be back in Wichita before fall of this |
year and viii bring my share with me, !
or the part that can be turned into cash /
and viii invest it in real estate. / have /
at present several places selected that !
1 want and viii buy if everything comes !
out TO nv satisfaction"