The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-02-06
irish RAGPICkER
InRERITS FORTUNE
HANNAH, Callaghan Gets $780,
eco From the Estate Of
John Sullivan.
cGuLD HARDLY REALIzElT
Lif. Of Indebtedness and SquaioF
Changed, in Old Age, by Vast
Wealth-Sudden Avarice of
Her Fellow Heir.

Her Fellow Heir.
Kansas City Star: It Is doubtful IL a
fortune ever tumbled into the Jap of a
person less likely to use it to advantage
than the 5000, 900 which the United States
supreme court recently awarded to 65-
Iyear-old Hannah Callaghan of Cork, Ire
land, as her share in the estate of her
cousin, John Sullivan, who died in Sc
attic, Wash.
HANNAH Callaghan is wrinkled. bag
gard, with a narrow, pointed nose, thin
lips, a bitter tongue and an aggressive
sdisposition. The woman who has just
inherited 100000 earned her living, until
ia Few days ago, as a ragpicker. For years
she has made her home in a squalid little
room-for which she occasionally has been
able to pay a shilling a week rent-in a
narrow alley, appropriately named
"Crone's Lane In Cork's worst sum-
She began life as a crockett worker and
once earned as much as IS a
she got tosb be a scrub woman and made
less, and OF Late years she has collected
bones, sold fruit and generally lived from
hand to mouth. She has been somewhat
partial to gin.
Hannah Was B%ewildered.
When the news reached hannah Gala
CHAN the other day that she had inherited
half of John S%ullivan's fortune-Edward
Corcoran, a poor Dublin artisan got the
other half-the old woman was so bewil-
dered that she could hardly realize what
it meant to her. She heard that her cousin
had died tntestate, but had thought so
little of her own chances of getting a
share of his estate that when American
lawyers came to her several months ago
and offered to push her claim she made
no trouble over signing an agreement
that they should take half Of any SUM
they succeeded in getting awarded to her
This doesn't mean, however, that the
old woman was feeced by her American
attorneys. For six months they have
worked like beavers to get her her in
heritance, and the endless trouble they
took and the ingenuity they manifested
certainly entitle them to a pretty stable
fee, II not as large a, one as they have
gained. Besides finding in the slums of
Irish cities the two obscure people who
are John Sullivan'snexttoki kin, they turned
up, after weeks Of searching, certificates
dating back as far as 1904, and even dug
up the collins that held the remains Of
Sullivan's parents in order to copy the in
scripttons on the plates.
Drew SIS q Week.
Meanwhile they deposited to Hannah's
credit in a Cork bank $3.50. allowing her
to draw SIS q week thereof-so sure did
they feet of success.
Since Hannah Callaghan became IN
heiress a clergyman in her neighborhood
has been looking after her to see that no
| one takes advantage of her. The precau-
ton Is necessary, for the old Irish wom-
an. who hasn't yet decided to leave the
dirty little room in which she has lived
for so long. is being harried by folk who
nave suddenly discovered themselves to-
be her relatives disinterested souls who.
would be willing to assist her to invest
her money, as well as gallant suitors who
: love her for herself alone.
/ Edward Corcoran, the Dublin man who,
gets the other half of Joha S%ullivan's for
tune, is a saddler. Like Sarah Callaghan,
he was Sullivan's first cousin. Like her,
! too, when approached by the American
/. lawyers, he signed deeds making over to-
j them a large share Of his Inheritance in
! case he got it. No sooner was he in pos
; session of his legacy, however. than Cor
coran tried to get his agreement set aside.
He has not succeeded.
S%uliivan's Strange Career.
If anything Is needed to add romance to-.
the story Of how these two old people,
having led lives Of poverty, are suddenly
made rich, it can be found in the strange
career of John Sullivan himself, the blu ID
er Of the fortune which Corcoran and
Hannah Callaghan have inherited. He.
was born in the same Cork slum in which
the old rag and bone picker has lived So
long. He became a sailor, and finally vas
shipwrecked on the coast OF the state OF
W arlington. Alone Of the crew of his
snip he was cast ashore alive. He suf-
Tered terribly from the cold, and lost sew
eral toes through frostbite, but managed
to keep alive through killing and eating
small animals and birds. Then he built.
himself a cabin and afterward a second
one which he rented to a man Who hap
pened along. Finally he had a whole VII
lage of shanties which he owned, but just
as it was beginning to bring him In a lit
tie something In the way of rent the whole
settlement burned down.
Sullivan still owned the. land, however.
and he rebuilt upon it, and eventually. as
one of the founders of Seattle, grew rich
French Woman Claimed Estate.
Marie Carrau, the French woman WHO.
claimed Sullivans estate on the ground
that the Irishman had made it over to her
by means of a verbal will, came near be-
Ing left in undisturbed possession of it.
The superior court Of Washington adj
mitted her claim, but then the American
! lawyers discovered Sullivan's next of kin
The United States consul at Queenstown
held an inquiry dn which whole loads OF
evidence were taken, after considering
which the supreme court handed down the
decision which raised two people from
wretched poverty to wealth.
John Sullivan visited Cork last year
singularly enough, to collect a legacy OF
about $1,000 which had been left him ly
his sister, but it is significant that he
neither visited nor communicated witt
either of the people who have succeeded.
to his fortune. >
May Be the Reason.
Chicago Post: He was Walking r. a.