The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-01
RICHMOND PEOPLE
HEIRS TO FORTUNE.
Will Probably Come Into Estate of
Rich Man Who Diedin Frisco.
LIVED UNDER ASSUMED NAME.
Hill, Who Left Here in Early Fifties.
Amassed Fortune in the Western
City, and Died Without Viii.
Handwriting in Evidence.

Unless they change their plans be-
Isaac Digs and Conway Sands will
leave Richmond during the latter part OF
next week for San Francisco. California,
where they go to represent claimants IN
this city Of the fortune of Charles tdlll,
who recently died in that city. leaving
an immense legacy for which no right
full heirs have yet established satlsfac-
tory claim. The Richmond people who
are interested in lie case are Charles 5.
Cook, a contractor living at No. 2Ol
Randolph Street: Mrs. Dora V. Houston,
wife Of Addison c. Houston, OF No. 1ol4
w. Main Street. and Mrs. Maud C. Plum
kett, wife OF E. c. Plunkett, a railway
mail clerk. They all claim to be nieoes
and nephews of the dead man. and they
are assisted in the fight for the fortune
by cousins in this State and in North
Carolina.
The attorneys interested in the case
are firmly convinced that their clients
are the rightful heirs to the fortune,
having been in correspondence with the
public administrator of San Francisco
and one of the best lawyers OF that
State. both Of whom seem to place a
great degree of credit in the claims mace
Dy the Richmond peoplt- no A"SNSA
stated in a letter received here last week
that he was almost confident of estab-
fishing the Richmond people as the right
full heirs.
AN ASSUMED NAME.
The grounds for the claims OF MI.
Cook and others is that Hill was living
under an assumed name at the time OIL
his DEATH which was very sudden. lney
contend that he was in reality no other
r, 11ynn
Richmond, but was compelled to leave
THIS section of the country in 1904 on &C
count of difficulty in which he became
involved. He located in the vicinity Oh
San Francisco earned a fortune, and
died a wealthy man.
According to the press dispatches
which were sent out of San Francisco
at the time of Hills death, ana 1acts
which have since been s1ined by Attor-
news Sands and Diggs, the man died
without ever having made Will and'
according to the California law. the en-
tire estate was turned over to the puoilc
administrator to be held III trust untii
th. heirs have been discovered and their
claim fully established. in which event
the estate will be apporuoned as the
courts of that State decree.
Hill. or Bath, before leaving Rlcn-
mond lived on West Main Street, just IN
front Of where the Jefferson Hotel now
stands He was an influential citizen ana
regarded as quite wealthy, owning mucn
property in that vicinity. Inc court rec
ord, show where many deeds were re-
corded by him in various deals IN WHICH
he was Interested VA,
Upon becoming involved in trouble Hlll
sold all of his property, and with ms
nephew. James Pea, who now iVes III
Newnort News fled to the West, "here
Hiu soon became interested IN the MN
inc industry which was just sprlnslhs
IN in that country. He accumulated
fortune. , +o .
Arter remaining with his uncle Tor d
sr,rt time Pea tired OF the COUNT ai ~
retrrnei to his native State gong 10
Ntr,o,t News where he is now WORKING
in the shipyards. It was princlpalis
,hro,.ph Pea that the heirs in Virginia
and North Carolina became interested II,
the legacy. he being confident that Till
WAS no other than Bath
Early in June Mr.. Dlgss became ny ,';,
e.ted in the case. he wrote me p"p.te
odm,ristratCr of San Francisco county,
~. story told by Pea sounding so straight
&c To convince him to degree OF t'le
nyobability of Iyill having formerly been
a resident of Richmond
HANDWRITING IDENTICAL.
1TDon hearing from the administrator
and further acquanting himself with the
facts Mr.. DiSgS communicated "isA
W Freeman, a prominent attorney OF
S,r Francisco, and between these two
LAWYERS. together with Sands and SANDS,
who had by this time been retained IN
the case. much evidence mas peen Sc
cured to establish the claims OF the local
neople and their relatives throughout TINS
State and North Carolina.
Several specimens of the handwriting
Of Bath have been forwarded to San
F.ancisco. where they have been COM
rared with that off Hill. and Attorney
Freeman writes that the similarity is
really remarkable. Much other evidence
of this character has been unearthed, all
of which simply makes the attorneys
more firm in their belief that they are
representing the rightful heirs.
Inc last letter received from MI Free
man contained the information that he
was morally certain that Hill and Gath
we're one and the same persons. as re-
suit of which it is mere than probable
frat Mr. Conway Sands and MI. Isaac
riegs will depart shortly for the Pacific
Coast so a. to be on the ground and bet
ter attend to the interests of their clients
At the time of his death Hill had $li2 900
in a savings bank of San Francisco, and
in addition had large holdings of real
estate in the Golden Gate City. which are
said to be valuable, and should the local
claimants prove successful, each will re-
criyc unite large sum Of money.