Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-29
Daughter of Heinrich Flamm-
l1amp Stops distribution OF
$4,000 Worth OF Property
is AN lLLEGITIMATE CHILD
Referee Sells Property and Prepares
to Divide 1t Among More Than Score
of Heirs When Court Orders Money
Held-German Court Records Sustain
Claim of This Now Sole Heir.

An heir. and an acknowledged IL
legitimate daughter, has appeared IN
Germany and thru the channels of the
district court has appeared to claim
the entire estate, valued at S1202O left
by Heinrich Flammkamp, of Logan
township. who died in March. 1901,
without leaving a will. The claim of
the daughter came just in time to stop
more than u score of distant rela-
tives.
This morning this daughter. Mrs.
Bernhard Ludwig, of Dortmund, Ger
many caused to be filed by her attor-
neys a petition of intervention, in the
case OF Mrs Dena Coppersmith, sis
ter of Flammkamp. which was brought
to have the court order the sale OF the
property of Flammkamp, consisting Of
eighty acres of excellent land. ana TO
divide the proceeds. also the personal
property, amounting to $l,lOO.
Property Is Sold.
On the showing made in Mrs. Cop
persmith's petition the local court, in
October. 1907, appointed a. III. Berg
man, Of Newton, referee, to sell the
land. and after the court costs were
paid, to divide the proceeds among the
twenty-siX heirs. Most of these are
nieces and nephews, some of whom
live in this and Jasper county. and
some OF whom live in Germany. Not
more than a week ago the land was
sold for S136.5O an acre, total Of $lO,-
900.
Daughter Appears in Case.
Mr.. Bergman was preparing to dl-
vide the sale money among the heirs
when notice came from the imperial
German consulate, of Chicago, that
under the treaty this country has with
the German empire, Mrs. Bernhard
Ludwig, of Dortmund, Germany, is an
heir, and the sole heir. being the
daughter of Flammkamp. Following
this notice came the petition of inter-
vention, filed by a Davenport firm of
attorneys and a local lawyer, who
have been retained for Mrs Ludwig
This petition claims the entire estate.
on the ground that Mrs. Ludwig is the
illegitimate child of F'lammkamp.
German Court Records Support Claim.
Additional weight is given the claim
OF the daughter by the allegation that
is made that in the probate court OF
Dortman, Germany, there was entered,
in 1866. judgment against Heinrich
Fiammkamp of 1000 marks, or $1,000
American dollars, in favor Of the moth
err of Mrs. Ludwig, as alimony for the
support of her child. Soon after this
Judgment was secured Flammkamp left
Germany and came to America and the
judgment has never been satisfied.
This judgment, with 6 per cent inter
est, is made part Of the claim to the
entire estate. With the interest this
claim now totals $3,46O.
Distribution Stopped.
On the filing of Mrs. Ludvig's petit
ton Of Intervention, Judge Parker this
morning ordered the referee to hold all
money derived from the estate until
the court instructed him to release it.
Simon Altemeier, of Newton, half
brother Of Flammkamp, was appointed
administrator of the estate when it
was entered for probate. So far as
known here. F'lammkamp was never
married, and when he died he left
neither a widow nor children.