Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1906-11-14
THE HERITAGE Of
THE ELLIS ESTATE


two, her duties being that Of COM
panion. He promised to leave her
something in his will-he was rich-but
died without having made any WILL
Meanwhile Dora, who had endured
him for ten years, had passed out of
her youth and found herself ON the
world for living. The disposition of
Ellis property promised to be peculiar.
A wife, child, brother or sister
would have inherited it all under the
law. Ellis had had only one child-a
son-who had gone to the Spanish
American war and was on the list of
killed in the fighting before Santiago.
There being no near relative to inherit
the Ellis estate, it was pounced upon by
remote cousins.
Claimants came in great numbers
from far and near There was no una
nlmity between them, each striving to
make his or her own claim paramount.
Dora Laraway was inclined to put in a
claim for services, but was advised
that such claim would not hold good In
law.
Among those claiming a share of the
estate was a middle aged man who
called himself Leonard Ellis. He had |
come from South America, where he
lived, and, as no one had ever heard OF
the deceased having a relative In that
faraway country, he was looked upon
with suspicion. He seemed rather discon-
fa1 OF bn ole Of rla me n a f1d
apparently disnclined to enter the lists |
The reason for this was apparent
when he was asked from what Ellis he
had descended. He named Leonard |
Ellis captain in the Revolutionary |
war. The cousins hunted the matter
up and found that the said Ellis had |
never been married.
Since none of the claimants wished
the care of the deceaseds house and
household effects, or, rather, since they |
all wished to go in and appropriate the
effects, it was agreed that Dora Lara
way should remain In charge. Mean
while the cousins were busy hacking |
at the Ellis genealogical tree, each |
desiring to cut off for himself the big |
gest branch. All filed their papers ex-
cept Leonard Ellis, who since the dis
covery that his ancestor had died child
less, or. worse that he was illegitimate,
had taken back seat among them.
Once, and only once, he ventured to
open his mouth. Then he proposed |
that In view of Dora's services to the |
deceased and the promise that had
been made her one-eighth of the estate
be signed to her. His proposition was
met with such torrent of abuse, |
especlally coming from one whose ]
claim was fraudment, that the poor !
man was abashed. But when 1t be-
came known that the deceased had en-
bodied his intention to Dora In letter
there was a hush among the claimants,
and she was considered as one whose
claim should be bought up. When,
however, Dora made no use of the EVIL |
dence she possessed the weathercock |
shifted again, and 1t was limited among |
them that the letter was a forgery. |
Dora herself admitted that she had |
been advised by the stranger Leonard |
Ellis not to press her claim. This move |
on the part of one who had he been a
legitimate descendant from the man
he claimed for progenitor would have
come In ahead of them all puzzled
them, but when 1t was announced that |
Leonard Ellis had taken up his quar-
ters In the house that had been occu-
pied by the deceased all recognized the
fact that some coup d'etat had been
sprung on them.
Simultaneous with this information |
came an invitation from Leonard Ellis
to each and every one of them to meet
him the next evening at the house an
interest In which they all claimed
when he would display a genealogical |
tree that would settle all dispute with |
regard to the Ellis property. All ac-
cepted and We're ushered into the |
drawing room, where the tree" was
hung on the wall. Mr.. Ellis advanced
to the map, holding a cane in his hand |
for a pointer. The Ellis whose name
stood first and from which all the rest |
on the tree were descended was Sam
uel Ellis, father of Captain Leonard |
Ellis and Edward Ellis, the GRANDPA
ther of the deceased. Beneath the |
name of the deceased was Captain |
Leonard Ellis.
Cousins" said the expounder, point
ing to this name, Edward Ellis had
son who was named for Captain
Leonard Ellis, who heads this tree. He
went to the Spanish war.
having quarreled with his father, who
wished him to remain in business,
which he dlsliked. He became a cap
tain and was enormously reported kill
ed. Taking advantage of the error to
remain a dead man to his father tenn
porarily, he went to South America,
where he has since been engaged In |
coffee planting. He put off declaring
himself longer than he had intended |
and at the time of his fathers death
was on his way home. He found a
babel of claims for his fathers estate.
of fhA .,lo TO @f ,, ,ie