South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-01-23
.LANDON MAY GET
QUARTER SHARE IN
S25O,OOO ESTATE
Supposedly Worthless Stocks
and Bonds Found by South
Bend Druggist May Be Very
Valuable.

LewisaC. Landon of South Bend will
be one of four who may come into
possession of $25O,O0O through the
discovery of packet Of old stocks
and bonds of the Standard Oil Co. in
a cs.staway trunk of L. S. Watkins,
who before the civil war was one of
the richest men in st. Louis. Watkins
died in 1850.
Telegraphic advices from New
York and St. Louis Friday indicated
that the bonds and stocks, the value
of which was at first problematical,
would bring the Watkins heirs at
least a quarter of their face value.
$1,OOO,OOO.
| Harry Watkins a son of the finan-
| cier, lived in South Bend until re-
| Gently. when he went To st. Louis,
| taking a position as clerk in the Of
fees of the Frisco railroad there. He
was employed with local railroad
| while in this city. Watkins resigned
his position Friday following the re-
J ceipt of a telegram from New York.
F, He left for that city To perfect his
claim to the money.
Landon is now in New York. he and
| Mrs. LandOn having left last saturday
for the purpose OF comforting with
| attorneys regarding the probable
| value of the bonds and stocks. South
| Bend people have not heard from
Landon's directly. The telegram
which Watkins received from his at
torney read:
On March 1S, 1911. you will re-
ceive an offer from the Standard Oil
Co. OF S25O.0 900. Accept il. for III YOU
| fight they will beat yOu To it,"
When the papers came In Mr.. Lam
| don's possession last spring he turn
ed them over TO the Merchants Ma
! tional bank for the purpose of deter
mining their value, If any. Some
time after their discovery had become
| known Landon was visited by a rep
resentative of the oil company who
| asked TO see the papers, but who did
not give any definite expression as to
| his opinion of their value.
Should Accept Offer.
| IF the company makes you an Of
| fer, accept it" was what he told NJ
| Landon. The latter expected to con-
fer with Chauncey DePew, a cousin
of his mother, i'm regard to the bonds
The discovery of the bonds in the
castaway trunk was largely due to
| the efforts of Mr.. Landon and Wat
kins. The latter. however, did not
| learn OF the find in St Louis until
| Landon had the papers in his possess
sion when the latter revealed them to
him in the Landon drug store in this
city. Others interested in the find
| are George Landon, a brother of
| Lewis, and Mrs. Joel Parker. an aunt
both Of st. Paul, Mimi. The Lam
dons are grandsons and Mrs. Parker
and Watkins are children OF the finan-
cer who held the stocks.
IL.
Woven about the yelowed parch-
cred in the trunk, is the story Of a
fortune won. lost and then regained
| coupled with a remarkable tale Of
| lost identity. When glancing over an
old diary while on a visit to his
! grandmother in St Louis, 10 years
ago, Lewis LandOn became acquaint-
ed with the details of his grandfath-
or, Watkins early operations in the
! oil business. The financier was one
OF the first to enter this business and
was said to have been one of the firSi
partners Of John ID. Rockefeller.
The diary contained reference to
stocks which interested the relatives
A search al that time. however, fail
ed u reveal the papers. During all
the years following until last spring
they had lain hidden.
Had Considerable Fortune.
| Watkins had amassed a consider
able fortune in oil duEing the recon
struction period of the country. Re
verses came, however. and in a crash
which sent many financierS TO the
wall Watkins lost his fortune Dis
tracted by his failure Watkins lost his
reason as well. and suddenly dropped
out Of sight of family and friends.
For years his family knew nothing
OF his whereabouts. Then he return
ed as suddenly as he had left and all
that relatives could learn Of where
ne had been was that he came from
South America and that his return
was largely due TO Masonic connec-
tons.
Plunging anew into the financial
field he slowly reCuperated his for
tune and then died In 1880 when ne
was fairly on his feet again The
stocks, whOch now. according to New
York dispatches have brought wealth
20 his heirs, were in early oil COM
panies, most of which were taken in
at the organization OF the Standard
OIL Co. Some of the companies were
still recognized by name but many
were unfamiliar. Their identity as
individual companies had been syyal-
lowed in the organization of the trust.