Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-09-09
MISSING HEIR TO FORTUNE
OF 100000 PROVES TRAMP Is
WHO BEGGED FOR ONE DRINK

OE'g $50O,OOU @RHONES s. 1AAMF 3-Fs
WHO BEGGED FOR ONE DRINK
After Searching United States and Eu-
rope for Two and Half Years, New
Yorker Comes Face to Face With
Tattered, Unshaven Man in West
Bay Street Saloon and Finds Him
the Right Person.
After wandering for fourteen years
to principal cities of the world and
landing six weeks ago in Jacksonville
as common tramp, J. III. Barnett yes
terday afternoon walked into saloon
on lower West Bay street to beg a
drink of the bartender and emerged
from the place five minutes later with
the knowledge that he was missing
heir to an estate wor tn half million
dollars, left by his ate father, w. H.
Barnett. of New York city, two and a
half years ago, says the Florida Times
Union. r
The story of Barnett's life and good
fortune relates like a romance and
contains plot material for a hundred
moving pictures. From the time when
he broke home ties and left to seek
his own fortune and live his chosen
Bohemian life until he came face to
face with H. e. Eyles, his stepbrother,
in the obscure saloon, and learned that
the United States and half the old
world had been secured in an effort to
let him know that a home and good
fortune awaited him. his career has
been filed with vicissitudes. And now
he is en- route home to rejoin family
connections and assume management
! Of his wealth.
Father of Bank President.
! According to Mr.. Eyles, who came
to the United States from his home in
London, to aid in division of the es-
tate and help. along the search for
the missing heir, w H Barnett, once
a prosperous manufacturer and bank
president of Pittsburgh, died at his
home, New York city, in the summer
of 1918, leaving an estate worth sew
eral million dollars In his will he
specified that a search was to be con-
Quoted for his missing son, to whom
he willed 100000, besides setting
aside a large sum of money to pay ex-
penses of the men who would be en-
gagged in finding him.
| At the time of the break between
the son and his people the younger
L wac Al A4S LWCAL1CSS
gay and a lover of the Bohemian life
The father demonstrated with him and
the son declared that he no longer
would remain at home, so he left to
seek his own fortune which the dis
covery yesterday proved had not been
the most desirable. For years moth
ing was heard from the wanderer, old
age crept upon the parent and he
finally died without ever learning oil
his sons whereabouts.
Eyles Takes Up Search.
| When the will was read in sure
gates court, Mr.. Eyles was present
and he offered to undertake the work
and endeavor TO bring home the prodi.
gal. First he went to the western
coast. visiting all of the larger cities
No tenderloin. no expensive hotel mol
a city directory showed anything OF
the missing mans location. Then he
visited all of the inland cities large
and small, and spent large sums; but
his efforts were of no avail. New
York, Chicago and even London. St
Petersburg, Venice. Paris and far away
South Africa were visited, but still
nothing could be learned that would
bring about the desired end.
Two months ago Mr.. Evles returned
to New York disheartened and dis
| couraged-his work had brought moth
Ing but seeming waste of time and
the expenditure of money. In a con
ference with his attorneys, he ran
| over the list of cities covered in his
Investigations. Jacksonville was miss
ing. zine lawyer Immediately vouch-
safed the Information that it was a
seaport and might possibly bring re-
suits. If visited. So Mr.. Eyles set out
| arriving here Monday by steamship.
After he had registered at the Mason
| hotel. he started forth to get the lay
of the land. He visited all of the
steamship docks. made inquiry at the
manufacturing plants, but no such
name as J. H. Barnett was on any
pay roll. Fearing even that the man
might have assumed another name, he
spent hours scanning faces in the fac
tories. in the street and hotel Hobbies
he didn't know whether the one he
sought was prosperous or down low
on the social scale. but he was TAX
ing no chance to fail in accomplishing
his purpose.
The Successful Day.
16SI0Tudy d1I0EuOOuS d1J0E A0 udO
finished his lunch in the Mason hotel
dining room. he started forth to re-
new his labors. Walking down Julia
street to Bay street he turned west
and dropped in saloon after saloon.
closely gazing into the faces he found
at the bar Thus he passed on and on
down the street. stopping two or three
times in every block. Sometimes he
even asked the bartenders If they
knew man by the name of j. H.
Barnett; but they all shook their heads.
Finally he entered a small drinking
establishment to find two men stand
ing at the counter: One was pod'
estly dressed individual and the 9TH
err gave every evidence of being
tramp, who had wandered from city to
city taking life as it came until he
had reached the stage where he now
T. ~