The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-09-03
Shenandoah Girl Heir to Fortune.

Miss Lillian Smith, kitchen girl at
Mrs. Lizzie Burdicks boarding house at
Shenandoah, has fallen heir to 1851 900.
The facts were developed Sunday form
one or the strange vicissitudes of human
life, says the Sentinel Post.
Her father, Frank Smith, of Lamar,
Mo-, come to Shenandoah that day and
surprised the young girl by the muniti-
cence and strangeness OF the good for
tune that has come to her, something
that she has never dreamed of. Her in
heritance comes from the estate of the
late Charles P. Fair, son OF the great
California multi-milllonaire, who with
his wife was killed in an automobile ac-
cident in Paris in 1908. The story is
full of romantic interest involving love, !
divorce, tragedy and international legal
contests. Lillian is nice good girl,
handsome, sensible, Industrious and in
every way worthy the fortune that will
be hers in her own right. She came to
Mrs. Burdicks about the first of June
and has worked faithfully in the kitchen.
She became favorite of Mrs. Burdick
and all about The house liked her. Now
we will tell you how the windfall came.
Twenty years ago ormore, when Dad
Blodgett kept the Lafayette hotel on
Frank Smith was boarder at the hotel.
There he met and married Jennie lay
Tor, who if we mistake not, worked at
the hotel. They afterward moved to
Omaha, and two children were born to
them, both girls, the youngest being
Lillian, with whom our story relates.
Her sister married and lives in Mime.
sofa. Trouble arose between Smith and
his wife and she took the children and
left him, and now lives on one of the
Rankin farms five miles southeast of
Tarkio, Mo-, having married man
named Keenan,. They are poor people
and for this and other reasons Lillian
had to go out and make her way in the
world. Lillian was at her mothers Sun
day, when her father reached here with
his message, for he had some trouble to
to find her. So he hired John Stickler
and his automobile and taking Mrs.
Burdick and her niece, Mrs. Campin,
drove down to the keenan, home. The
girl was of course overioyed at the news
but was at a loss to know what to do.
Her father gave her 500 for immediate
wants and brought her back to Mrs.
Burdick's in Shenandoah. He would not
see his former wife but remained out in
the auto. From here father and daugh-
ter took the train for St. Joe, Sunday
evening.
Now Frank Smiths sister, Carrie, was
the wife of Chas. P. Fair, who met that
tragic death in Paris. She was beau
tiful girl and was employed in one oil
the big hotels in New York where young
Fair became infatuated with her and
made her his wife. She was therefore
Lillian Smiths aunt but Lillian probably
never knew these facts, for she had nc
intercourse with her father since hel
early childhood. He had married agair
and settled at Lamar, Mo-, and as usua
in such cases the two lost all trace Of
each other. Immediately following the
death Of Fair and his wife at Paris q
nice legal point arose as to which dice
first. Frank Smith went to Paris anc
gathering all the facts, proved that she
had survived him 40 minutes and ii
that 40 minutes her title to one-third O.
his vast wealth was fully established
But the Vanderbilts, who are related tt
the Fairs, contested the claim, and il
was this litigation that has delayed the
division of the money for several years
Frank Smith, Mrs. Chas. Fairs brother
got some 100000 but Lillian does mo-
inherit through him, but through hel
SfauQmOUleF, MIS-. OSDOrno, VINO llVe(
at the old home at New Market, New
Jersey. She recently died and willee
$4,000 to the girls, her grandchildren
Lillian and her sister. This sister will
arrive here in few days and she ant
Lillian, together with their father will
go to New Jersey to sign the papers
Lillian is not of age until Sept. 13 next
After that she will come into her posses
sion.
This is true story and is as strang
as fiction.