The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-17
1 CHAMPION MlSER trange Story of Boston Mans Fortune-Codicils Under
 Doormat.
DOLLARS INVOLVED
,nglish Solicitor Thought Matter Hoax--Adopted Daughters
 Good Fortune.

Ever since DecembeS of last year the
 title town of Trowbridge, in Wiltshire,
 as been much concerned over the dis-
 osal of fortune of one million dol
 hrs amassed by a real estate dealer Rf Boston, Mass, who died in East Bonneville on December ls, 1907.
 His real name was Benjamin Hadley 3lthough he was known in the com |nunlty In which he lived as Uncle Ben" He was a bachelor and his prop frty by will made in 1907, was to be
 ivided between three Boston nephews.
 And so 1t might have been had not
 paper containing the above informa- | ion found Its way to Trowbridge. Wills and codlcils In favor of English
 Claimants followed c. J. Jones. solici-
 or, of Trowbridge. took the first Of
 hem In person to Boston.
 It set out that Benjamin Raleigh. br Hadleigh. or Radley, or Hadley and ko on, but whose real name Is Benja- |nln Raleigh, champion miser of
 Amerlca,' bequeathed 5000 pounds f.erling to Charles j. Jones. solicitor bf England as executor; 5000 guineas bach to six of the children of John Fisher, of Trowbridge, "hIs next of
 kim; and 10000 pounds to Mrs E'iz- 'hbeth Moore widow, of Trowbridse
 England, described as his adopted
 daughter, Mrs, Moore is now the wife
 bf Dr. Buckley, the. local practitioner |bf the village of Holt three miles From Trowhridge.
 This was not all 4 will dated Aug |nst % l9o1, was sent to Boston. sign fd by Benjamin Hadley, his mark, and h'tested by four witnesses. It varied fhe terms of the hequests, but like the first will. practically confined the ben |cfits 10 the Trowbridge party
 To Mrs. Buckley, the adopted daugh- Ter about s900.ooo was 10 go; the six brothers and sisters and Mir. Jones. the Solicitor. were to receive about s5.00n leach Two thousand rounds were be- |queathed to the President of the Unit led States"
 The most remarkable feature of the |story ls the manner in which these doc |uments were received Mir. Jones. the |solicitor relates that the rrst will, to- |gether with cutting from a London newspaper describing the habits of the |deceased millionaire, reached him by |post at his office in Trowbridge, De- |cenber 2i, 1907. No letter was inclos. led. The postmark was Trowbridge "At first" says Mir. Jones. "I thought |the thing was hoax I had never |heard of Uncle Ben But when as- |certained that he really had existed, |saw Frank Fisher, one of the bene- |fciaries, and we went to see his sister. Mrs Buckley. the chief beneficiary. Mrs. Buckley told me that her fath- Ter had mentioned to her, in his decl'n- Ing years. that she was the adopted daughter of Uncle Ben of Boston. and That money would come to her some |day.
 All the circumstances are remark. able. Soon after my return from the Limited States received codicll whlcf had been found. with no covering let. ter. That codicil bore the signatures c' three witnesses. I sent It to America, Dr. Buckley, like Mfr Jones, freely admits that similar documents hac Preached him in an unusual manner
 "There were several" he says. 'a least half dozen. They were found or
 the doormat, all during the daytime.
 They were not addressed as rule neither were they in envelopes; some were tied Up with string and sealed
 The postman directed my attention tt
 one, which was lying on the mat a
 noon. .'-New York Times.