The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-03-14
MISSING ESTATE
SW|NDLE AGAIN
Is Evidently Being Worked
in the United States, Saws
Embassy Attaches.
WITHIN CIRCLE OF
THE c REGION
Only 60 Miles from the PoIc-par-
%tiCiTMtiUm of Several Powers Justiti.
able on Numerous GrouuIs-Unit-
cd states will also he Interested,

va StdteS VIII 0ISO nc interested.
London, March li.-The missing
estate swindle is evidently again be-
ing worked extensively in the United
States. The embassy here is over
whelmed with letters from American
heirs asking how best tn secure es-
II a victims were induced To part
With all their property to pay cx-
penses of pseudo representatives OF
u ~Chancery court.
Ten years e the state department
al Washington received so many re-
Quests ab"u, missing estates i'm
Ghancery that a special investigation
was made 10y Henry White. then frs,
secretary of the American embassy
here. lie reported that it would be
practically Impossible for Ameri an
10 secure an estate from the court Of
r~hanrery. h report showed that
the large estates constantly spoken of
as dormant in ~chancery" or await
inG claimants in the Bank of Eng
land" were purely imasinery. and us
nhllN the invention Of sMindlers, who
obtain money for the prosecution of
claims w fictitious fortunes.
'HS IuiluS III cti3lttPEH open 10
claim are few, averaging less than 81.
500 each, Two only approaching s7a.-
600, and most of them inevitably
would consume their WI value in the
expenses of recovery. n fullest
proofs of genealogy are demanded.
and in the case of Americans such
proofs are almost impossible. Even
h clearest claims are usually barred
iN the statute of limitations. About
the time of this report the inquiries
became so heavy tina, they overload
sN. and a printed form Of reply was
adopted and this ia in use today.
Mrs. Scott. mother Of Captain Scott
who lost his life in returning from the
South Pole. has been offered one Of
the apartments in Hampton Court
Palace. These are at the disposal of
the king. who usually grants them TO
widows of men who have distinguish
cd themselves in national service.
Although the artnlents are finely
appointed. they are not always a de-
tight to those to whom the king offers
them ent free. 1t is customary FOR
the tenants to pay the rates and laX-
cS. which amount TO something like
$500 a year. For this price a fairly
good cottage can be obtained in the
vicinity. Hampton Court has it's dis
advantages. among them gossip and
Misunderstanding. as the life is
somewhat like that of a community.
Many OF the apartments also are very
nigh up and have no elevators. This
Inconvenience is not altogether met
by a basket on the end of a string
let down to the postnlan or tradesman.
On the other hand. the rooms are Very
beautiful and the have the
use of the gardens in the carly morn
ing before the crowds of visitors ar
rive.
p. Anlaury Talbot OF the Nigerian
Political Service. who has Travelled
l1uch through Africa studying the va
riols tribes. says the lbibios. natives
of southern Nigeria. who are IF such
q low type thai they are called mud
fish" rank among the most ancient
Of southern Nigerian tribes. and
speak different dialects of a very old
and primitive tongue.
Witch doctors dominate the life Of
the race. AS a protection against
farm thefts, certain spells are recited
over the long hoe used for breaking
ny the ground. and a medicine"
poured over 1t. after which it is given
back to its owner to be hung UP in
some conspicuous place on the planta-
tion. No sooner does the thief creep
over the boundary. than the magic
hoe springs to his hand. Unconsci-
o,,sly his fingers clasp themselves
around the haft. He is bent down by
a power there is no resisting. and
finds himself forced against his will
to hue and hoe.
Not for a m can he pause.
even to straighten his back, so long
as a single weed remains on the farm,
a single yam needs banking or a sin
gle clod would he the better for
breaking. So long mus, the evil-doer
continue to work for The maj he had
intended 10 rob. Only when the own
er arrives IN the Gene. should he SO
wish. IAN the magic hoe he released
from the hand If the thief. 1t is not
said whether the magic has ever
worked.
Quaint burial customs prevail.
Slaves are frequently sacrificed at the
death Of n chief and buried with
him. Until prohibited by the gov
ornment chiefs We're buried in their
h"nses with strange ritual and sacri-
iicc. a burial chamber was prepared
underneath II of the roolns. M in
this the chiefs body was pla ced. His
best loved wife and vi of the most
beautiful OF his slaves entered the
room and seated themselves at a
tLDIe opposite lbGiF joTU. Alter some
ceremonial all but the women with
drew. the chamber was sealed up, and
the unfortunate women were left to a
lingering death.
\ petition in favor OF the Plumage
illl 10 he presented to the house of
has heel signed by 21.5S5
persons who visited the Bird Court
of the Exhibition Of Australian manu-
factnrers last fall. So strong is Ans
tralian opinion in favor of the bill
that it is stated in official circles that
had the petition heeIi circulated pub
licly il would undoubtedly have been
signed by n~inety-1ve per cent Of the
population.
This intense feeling is due. apart
from humanitarian son to the
conviction that systematic sla tighter
%: Il rds for the plulnage market is
having a. I1oet detrimental affect upon
agriculture. PUBLIC opinion is also
incensed Ivy the fact tina prohibited
skins and feathers are smuSgled out
Vt the country in spite OF the vigilance
Of tine authorities, and it ia recognized
that only the closure OF the home
markets can effectually put an end to
the traffic.
The Interesting discovery has been
made, according TO a consular report
from Algeria IF the adaptibility Of
the oyster to change in It's surround
ings. The inspector OF fisheries in the
Arzew district states that he found
that as the result OF the slow clos
ing Of the mouth Of the river La Mac
ia. by a sand-bar the edible oyster had
almost completely adapted itself to an
were found thriving in parts of the
river, en::rcly dcvnil ri cal. 4,