The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-22

not undertake to unearth the last where
abouts of somebody else's grandfather
who was also said to have died in the
midst of untold millions somewhere in
the land of gold. The grandfather proved
to be alive and working hard in soar
factory in Brooklyn. He had not writer
TO his children for twenty-five years
because he was ashamed of his poverty
he said-and now he wondered why his
grandchildren who would have jumped
at his millions if he died and left some
should not send him monthly allow
ance now that he was still alive, but toe
weak to work for living. The Belgian
saws he succeeded in getting one of the
old mans nephews to send him some
money He did not make anything on
this case, but 1t brought him some good
business through other channels.
In the majority of instances. how
ever. l somehow manage to get would-be
heirs TO pay expenses in advance and if
the case really proves to be worth while
/ sometimes take it up at my own risk.
as a business investment.
The European papers have all sorts OF
curious stories about America. Foreign
ers making millions here are common
occurrence with them. Perhaps this has
something to do with the growth of i'm
migration. But the strangest thing Of all
is the frequency with which a peculiar
type of story will appear in the New
anrk press. Only n few weeks ago the
Polis- papers printed a yarn about an
aged man in Warsaw who was notified
on his deathbed Of the death of his reia-
tive in the United States. The relative
according 10 the story. left s15,O0.Do
every cent of ii to the old man where
upon the big pile OF American greenbacks
was handed to the old man an hour be-
fore he breathed his last. 1 read the
story in a private letter which a friend OF
mine received from his parents. ] also
saw the clipping containing the report.
but that l could not read because it was
in Polish.
Another man tells me Of a similar
story which he read in a small German
paper $4,000 was left by an immi-
grant to his sister in town only few
miles from the place where the tale was
published. OF course. no names were
given. which. by the way. only adds TO
the mystery and fascination OF the lie.
NOu see. am IN AIain Hltcu "
day" the Belgian went on. 1t is scarce
" good for the kind Of business l am in
to speak the way I do. But then. you
are not going 10 disabuse the minds OF all
these who live in Europe ard have rela-
tives in America Nor could you do so
il YOU would The charm Of stories like
those l have referred TO is too great. you
know. The less creditahle they are. the
more they draw. The ring Of gold is
more powerful than the ring Of truth.
especially when heard at a distance.
When il comes from that enchanted land
OF gold beyond the seas. its sound is all
but omnipotent.
Y know a man who was well OF in his
birthplace and had lost everything he
owned and 3 now peddHng for a living,
all because he dreamed there We're mil
lions in this country FOR him. NIL
lions left by an imagined uncle. the owner
Of imagined treasures. ! say Imagined
because the man this poor fellow expected
to inherit from was a very distant rela-
tive 81 his wife. He was really well fixed.
But he was married aud had children in
this country and by the time the Euro
pean claimant arrived the will had been