The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-03-20
A STR An (AE STORY
Mrs. John Hopkins Claims Cue For:
I ,'s,s5a 6 tune OF Charles Hill,
WHO DIED IN LOS ANGELES; COL.
Her Attorney is Now in Galvest
/; Hunting witnesses to tho
Will, There Are Many
Claimants

gsY hunting Witnesses to tho ~
iVill, There Are Many
Z Clniniants.
Several days ago there appeared in
the papers statement that Mrs. John
Hopkins and her son, G. Q. Alexander,
now OF Lancaster, had fallen heirs to
an estate of Sl43.0OO left them by one
Chas. Hill alias "Salem Charley' who
recently died In Los Angeles, Cal.
Wishing to ascertain if there was any
truth in it and if the wills now. held
by Mrs. Hopkins, dated 24th Dec.
1878, and 24th May, 1892, tile Union
Progress wired The Herald mt that
place for information. The following
reply was rcce' ID:
Merits Of various claims to Hill es-
tate set for trial May II. Estate in
hands Of public administrator and
amounts to $12O,OOO. Two wills
already produced. One of the women
claims that her deceased husband and
Hill were members Of Il gang Of coun-
ter-fcitcrs operating in middle western
States, that Hill about 18 years age
made 4 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 tile
claim Of the attorney for public ad-
ministration for fees held up as cx-
ccssivc.
LOOKING FOR WITNESSES
( Y. E. DcPaSs, Esq, who is to re-
cciyc halr OF the amount he secures or
the will, also tclcgraphcd to Los
Angeles, but the information was very
meagrc, it simply said the amount in
volycd was $l42,000. Mr.. DcPasS 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.. DcPasS, left for
Atlanta Tuesday and should the two
witnesses, Henry McNcasc and Il. c..
Odell be found, May lst McSsrs. De
Pass and Sawyer will leave for Los
Angels to present the two wills now
held by them for Mrs. Hopkins and her
son.
Mrs. John Hopkins lives ut West
Springs and before marriage to Mr..
Hopkins was Mrs. ltobt. B. Alexander,
and it WAS to him the wills were made
but he having died Sept. 2l, 1887, ut
Grecnvillc the wills go To his widow
and her sous. 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 up a little money he bought Il
place near West Springs and sent fp,
his son to come and help him work hi.
farm. The purchase Of the farm ani
Il couple Of horses took all the none,
he and his son had saved They there
fore gave j. g. Wray Il mortgage OF
the two animals to furnish them Will
supplies for The year. 1t being a liar,
year and Knowing almost nothing
about farming rs carried on in The
south, they did not more than make
expenses. However they tried again
During that year the father marrict
Mrs. Alexander and the next year lt
went to gold mining ut the thct
Thompson gold mines, and has beer
engaged in that business more or les.
ever since, scarcely making more thar
Il living for himself and family. His
son is now mail carrier between this
place and West Springs, in addition tC
which he peddlcS chickens and eggs
along the road. AS mail carrier he re-
ceives about $40 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 tile 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. An al.
legged will OF the late Chas Hill alias
Salem Charley who left an estate
OF Sl42, 600 in cash, for which numcr-
Gus claimants have appeared. was
filed today by Mrs. Gertrude briggs.
The document is written in pencil on
scrap Of paper and bears the sigma
lures OF George Manning, II famous
c0untnrfcitcr, now dead. and u.
briggs, the former husband of the
woman. The will is dated Jan. II
1883, and leaves the entire Hill estate
to Gertrude briggs, said to be IL varic
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 10y the same person
She then found the two wills, one
dated before this alleged will and the
other since.
AS soon lis she had found them she
sent them to Y. e. Dcl'ass and said
she would give him half of The cstat G
if he would collect it,. After looking
into the matter fully he took as his
assistant j. a. Sawyer, and they pro-
cccded to West Springs to further in
ycstigate and get power Of attorneys
from Mrs. Hopkins. AS soon as they
had secured it Mr.. DcPass left for
Galveston To hunt up The Witnesses
while Mr.. Sawyer was To 20 direct 10
Los Angeles. However, Mr.. Sawyer
did not go any further than Atlanta,
Ga, where he 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
MIR. Duun was well know hero AMI III.