The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-03-18
WHO DIED IN LOS ANGELES, CoL.
Her Attorney is Now III Ga!ve stcn
Hunting Witnesses TO the
Will, There Are Many
Claimants.

Wishing TO ascertain IL Cuele Was tti!s
truth in it and il the wills now held
by Mrs. Hopkins, dated 24th Dec.
1873, and 24th May. 1892, the Union
Progress wired The Herald at that
place for inform& The following!
reply was received:
Merits OF various claims to Hill es-
tate set for trial May -. Estate in
hands OF public administrator and
amounts TO $4,000. Two wills
already produced. One Of the women
claims that her deceased husband and
Hill were members Of Il gang OF coun
ter feiterS operating in middle western
States, that Hill about IS years ago
made will, leaving his property to
the woman'S infant daughter, who Is
variety actress. with her older sister.
The last phase Of the case is the
claim of the attorney fer public az
ministration for fees held up Us eN-
ceSSivc.
LOOKING FOR WITNESSES.
V. f. DePaS;, ESQ. who IS 10 re
ceive halt of the amount he secures OF
the will, also telcgraphed TO Los
Angeles. but the information was Very
meagre, it simply said the amount in
4olved was Sl42, 900. Mr.. DePass is
now in the city of Galveston, Texas,
In search of the two witnesses who
signed the last will and testament in
that city in 1892 J. a. Sawyer, who
is assisting Mr.. DePasS, left for
Atlanta Tuesday and should the two
witnesses, Henry McNease and f. G.
Odell be found, May lst Messrs. De
Pass and Sawyer will leave for Los
Angels to present the two wills now
held by them for Mrs. Hopkins and her
sou.
Mrs. John Hopkins lives at West
Springs and before marriage to Mr..
Hopkins was Mrs. Robt. 3. Alexander.
and it was to him the wills were made
but ne having died Sept. y, 1887, at
Greenville the wills 60 to his widow
and her sons. In 1864 Mrs. Alexander
was married to her present husband,
who came here about eight years ago
from Kalamazoo. Mich. He first
worked at the carpenters trade, build
ing Union cotton mills, No. ,. After
saving I'D little money he bought a
place near West Springs and sent for
6 his son to come and help him work his
farn. The purchase OF the farm and
a couple Of horses took all the money
he and his son had saved. They there
fore gave J. G. Wray a mortgage on
the two animals to furnish them with
supplies for the year. 1t being hard
wear and knowing almost nothing
about farming as carried on in the
south, they did not more than make
expenses. However they tried again.
During that year the father married
Mrs. Alexander and the next year he
went to gold mining at the then
Thompson gold mines, and has been
engaged in that business more or-less
ever Since. scarcely making more than
a living for himself and family. his
son is now mail carrier between this
place and West Springs, in addition tc
which he peddles chickens and eggs
along the road. AS mail carrier be re-
ceiyes about SO a month.
Several days ago Mrs. John P. Hop
kins came into the possession Of a
scrap of newspaper which led to the
discovery that she and her son were
heirs to the estate. From where the
clipping came and the year is not
known, but it is evident that it was a
last years clipping. 1t reads as fol-
lows:
';Los Angeles, Cal, Dec. 9.-An al
legged will OF the late ChaS. Hill alias
s'Salem Charley" who left an estate
of s142, 600 in cash, for which numer-
Gus claimants have appeared. was
fled today by Mrs. Gertrude briggs,
The document is written in pencil on
a, scrap of paper and bears the sigma
lures of George Manning, a famous
counterfeiter, now dead. and u.
briggs, the former husband Of the
woman. The will is dated Jan. Il.
1888, and leaves the entire Hill estate
to Gertrude briggs, said to be varle-
ty actress, the Is year old daughter
Of Mrs briggs.
), AS soon as Mrs. Hopkins read it she
remembered the name and that she
had a will made by the same person.
She then found the Two wills, one
dated before this alleged will and the
other since.
AS soon as she had found them she
sent them to V. E. DePaSS and said
she would give him half Of the estate
if he would collect it. After looking
into the matter fully he took as his
assistant J. A. Sawyer, and they pro-
ceeded to West Springs to further III
vestigate and get power OF attorneys
from Mrs. Hopkins. AS soon as they
had secured it Mr.. DePass left for
Galveston to hunt up the witnesses.
while Mr.. Sawyer was to go direct t.
Los Angeles. However, Mr.. Sawyer
did not 60 any further than Atlanta,
Ca, where be will probably wait for
more information.
The will and deed first made was
drawn up here. and had as witnesses
Mr.. Philip Dunn and James Wall.
Mr.. Dunn was well know here and bis
widow, who is very wealthy, still re.
sides here.
1t is said in the will that Mr.. Hill,
decided and willed everything TO Alex
ander for I, ChaS. Hill, having
never forgotten him as the only per
son that ever saved my life.
Train Robberies.
By the record OF the Cincinnatti En-
press Gazette. it appears that there
inv r,ti1hprinS 1e