The Washington herald., 1909-04-02

Sergt James Kramer. OF the Eighth
precinct. is not the happiest man in
Washington. as many would believe. he
finds that being an heir OF 500, 900 has
it's drawbacks
His friends have not hesitated TO point
cut the hundreds OF other persons il
Washington and other cities who have
had the same good fortune, and who
have walked up TO find themselves hun
dreds OF dollars out of pocket-gone for
attorneys fees"
Then. too. Sergt Kramer was IN receipt
yesterday or something ike a bushel Of
letters from all parts Of the country. Each
writer offered TO make him the richest
man in the world IL he would invest
few thousands in "a sure thing.
Fortune in Some Doubt.
That the policeman has good grounds
for EOt feeling certain OF receiving e
share OF the Sl00.O00.OoO German fortune
Is evidenced by the opinions OF several
Washington attorneys as related 10 a re-
porter for The Washington Herald last
night.
wntor J. Lambert in speaking OF the
fortune said;
"Of course I don't know any OF the
facts in this case. but 20 all appearances
It bears the earmarks OF a fake AS
rule these large fortunes dwindle down
to little or nothing when the time for
settlement comes around Then some
times they are newspaper stories OF
swindles I should say about Is per cent
of the fortunes left to residents OF the
United States, and there are thousands
OF them. turn out 20 be fakes
'Kramer's fortune may be the real
thing. true blue and all wool, but I have
my doubts. 7 am always skeptical OF
these immense estates. and the larger
Jney are the less probability Is there Of
the so-called heirs ever receiving = cent"
Attorney l. Dubious.
c. D. Pennebaker. OF the firm OF Penne-
baker & Jones. lawyers. who have han
died many equity cases where large for
tunes were involved. said last night that
the majority OF the big fortunes sup
posed 20 be left 20 people many miles
away from the place where the property
Is supposed 70 be located are not worth
looking into
Most Of them are fakes" he said
About one IN a thousand turns out TO
Do geEuine.
I have had a good deal OF experience
with mythical fortunes IN fact. q mem
Der OF my family once fell heir 70 mil
lions, but the family has not bought any
railroads or trust companies yet The
IA. ~
is OF getting a cent or course, some of
them are genuine. but the majority are
not. SO many thousands OF people have
been victimized BY shrewd foreign schen-
ers that I am skeptical about any kind
OF property that Is willed to a man BY
some one he has never seen"
Other attorneys who said they did not
care 20 be quoted expressed much the
same sentiment. All were sSepticaL and
several OF them laughed. calling Il a huge
joke.
On top OF all this. Scrgt. Kramer doesn't
exactly know whether 20 be happy or
not he was very happy a few days ago.
but yesterday he was rather the reverse.
He stiu has faith In his fabulous fortune
and IS saying little and thinking a whole
lot
Estate Ninety-nine Years HeirIess.
The cause OF the disturbance in SerEt
Kramer's usually placid existence IS. as
he explains it. the receipt OF positive IN
formation from Germany that he Will
soon receive a share in the Sl0o.OOo.0oo es-
tate left over IO7 years ago by Baron Won
Sitter
The story, as he tells it, Is this way:
Previous TO his death the old nobIeman
disinherited his two sons. DIederich and
Matthias Won Sitter. because they chang
ed their religion. To make sure neither
would spend any Of his millions. the
baron had drawn up a viii which was
not 70 be probated for ninety-nine years
About six years ago the will Is supposed
TO have been probated. and after many
legal battles IS now ready 10 be divided
The policeman declares the American
heirs to the fortune. there being 80 al
together, have employed three lawyers.
who have Strengthened out all the tan
gles and have everything in readiness. to
pay over 10 Sergt- Kramer and his rela-
tives sums varying from S5Oo.000 to 81
50a. .o00
Part OF the vast estate IS said 70 be To-
Gated in the heart Of Baltimore. and Is
said TO be n itself worth several nil
lions
Kramer. however, IS still doing police
duty. and still lives IN his modest home
at 15Z Twelfth street southeast