The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04
VERY REMARKABLE'JOKE'
STRANGE WAY IN WHICH TWO AUS
TRALIANs WE'RE vICTIMIZED.
Induced by Advertisement to Come
to London i'm Search of Sup
posed Fortune.

London Letter in Washington Post.
When first the story was told in a London
police court the other day of how John and
Frederick Goodwin, two old men of scant
means, had been lured from their homes in
Australia to this country by the promise OF
an imaginary fortune, it appeared if
their case was about the best possible warn
ing to folk in America and elsewhere who
are inclined to nibble at the tempting bait
thrown out by willy ''next-of-kin' agents
here. But the amazing fact brought out
by the later developments in this myster-
Gus affair is that apparently no one profited
in the slightest extent by getting this cred
ulous pair to spend every penny they pos
sessed in getting from the Antipodes to
London and stranding them here. No miss
ing heirs agency even tried to get money
out of them, so the explanation seems to
be that whoever inserted in the Australian
newspapers the advertisement by which the
Goodwins were duped into believing them
selves heirs to $4,000 and who kept up
the game of deception right up to their
arrival in this country did so just for a
joke.
OF these two disheartened men. whose
only request is now that they may be pro-
tralia. the elder is nearly seventy and the
other only a few months younger. The
former John Goodwin, was a Waterman
at a hospital at a small town in Queens
land, with a salary OF $500 year besides
his board. He was married to one of the
attendants at the hospital. The other
brother, Frederick Goodwin, was shep-
herd in New South Wales, who had laid
by little money. The Goodwins came to
Australia together from England in 1861.
4l,a nd tod md antl1o llx
had not seen or heard OF each other for
years until the advertisement published in
the Australian papers TO the effect that
they were heirs to a fortune finally brought
them together few months ago.
THIS WAS THE PERSONAL.
This was the advertisement that caught
the eye of both men, printed in their daily
newspapers:
GOODWIN-If this should meet the eye
of John Mackenzie or Frederick Holland
Goodwin, sons of F. C. Goodwin, M: D..
late Of Manchester, Lancashire, England.
who sailed per ship Wanata from East
Indies docks, London, for Brisbane Captain
Murphy, 1861. Uncle Holland dead; money
Harrison 81 Baxter, solicitors, High Hol-
born, London, or Sir Humphrey de Traf-
ford, Trafford Park Manchester. Lam
Now, the Goodwins did hail from Man
chester. they had sailed on the ship named
and they had had an Uncle Holland so
wanted" John Goodwin was the first Of
the two brothers to see the advertise
ment and he wrote at once to Sir Hum
phrey de Trafford, whom he knew to be
real person and also 10 the lawyers named
in the personal" He got no reply from
either, however. and had about given up
any idea of going to England, when sud-
denly he got telegram from his brother
Frederick Of whom he had seen or heard
nothing for so many years. 1t seems that
in the meantime the younger Goodwin had
seen the advertisement and had begun cast
ing around TO see IL mis- brother were still
alive. finally locating him.
After some correspondence, the Good
wins decided to meet and John travelled 660
miles from Queensland to Frederick,
who was now In Sydney. Arriving there,
however, he found that the latter had
made all arrangements for their passage In
company to England to look UP the in
heritance. He had spent practically every
The elder of the two old men had also near
ly exhausted his small means in making
his researches. and he went on board the
Orient line steamer with exactly $50 in
his pocket. BY this time, neither felt any
doubt Of the existence of their fortune
and they wrote from Marseilles to "Harri-
famous advertisement, and advised them Of
their imminent arrival in London.
ENCOURAGED ON ARRIVAL.
No sooner had they actually reached the
metropolis than they were immensely
couraged. For then they received let
ter from Harrison e Baxter saying that
they had apprised Sir Humphrey de Traf-
ford of the Goodwins' arrival, and that
the nobleman had directed that the
heirs should go to Manchester immedi-
atelt and apply to a legal firm there
whose name was mentioned and receive
from these lawyers their inheritance.
But when the brothers having hurried
to Manchester, tried to find the legal
firm at the address furnished them, they.
failed. They then called at the office of
Sir Humphrey de Trafford. also in Man
chester, where, though they were treated
politely. the half-crazed men were told
that nothing was known of any relative
of theirs having died and left legacy for
them: Almost hopeless now they spent
tween them in getting back to London.
and there made search for "Messrs. Har-
rison e. Baxter But in High Holborn,
where the lawyers offices were supposed
to be located, no such law firm existed.
And so the old men at last gave up and
realized that they had been duped.
Evidently the disappointment was too
much for the younger brother. Frederick,
for he disappeared entirely after the last
facer, and Jonn Goodwin has no idea what
has become of him. The elder brother
lost no time in making his way to Police