Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-10-26
Handley Request For Edu.
cational Purpose About
to be Turned In
IS WON BY COURTESY
Fine School to Rise as Result OF
Kindness Shown Millionaire by Viri
ginia People. !.

Winchester, Va, Oct. 2G.-The city
of Winchester, a community Of 1000
people. will in short time come into
possession of approximately $l,5oO,-
900 for educational purposes, the fund
representing the accumulated estate
of Judge John Handley, an eccentric
millionaire, of Scranton, Pa, who died
in 1895 without heirs and left the
bulk of his property to be delivered
to this historic place 20 years after
his death. Judge Handley also left
another sum of s25O,OOO to Winches-.
ter for the erection and equipment OF
library, which has been completed.
The circumstances surrounding
these bequests, the reasons why VIM
chester instead Of the dead mans own
community was favored for the bene-
faction, and how the heart and atfec-
ton of this stern Pennsylvania law
yer, maligned at his home for his
Southern sympathies, were drawn to
Virginia by his admiration and thirst
for knowledge Of Gen. Robert &. Lee.
and Gen Stonewall Jackson, and then
completely won by the warm-hcarted
hospitality and courtesy of the Valley
neople. are unusual and dramatic in
the extreme.
The estate was to have been dellv-
cred to Winchester last February. Its
transfer by the executors has been,
held up by litigation in the Scranton
courts, involving, among other things,
the size of the executors fees.
The Handley property, to which
Winchester falls heir for "the erec-
lion of schoolhouses for the education
of the poor" is now located in the
business heart of Scranton. 1t consists
principally of department store oul'a,
mos bank buildings and other real
astste valued at 81, ,25o,O0O the gross
income from this property, however
hc;np only 100000. The estate includ-
cs S225.OO0 in loans on real estate IN
Scranton, and about $l50,OoO IN cash.
The executors, in their 20-year admin
istration. of the educational funds.
have rebuilt and remodc!ed much OF
the original Handley property, there,
bv increasing largely the original
amount intrusted to their hands.
John Handley started life in AM
erica at Washington, the national
capital, when a poor Irish immigrant
lad of 10 years. He was born at En-
nscorthy, county of Wexford. ana
was the son of carpenter, although
be~came from a noble family, one
which gave Ireland great military
ch;eftains and in the fourth century
a King. When Handley came to TINS
section in the eighties he impressed
one a being descended from proud
and mighty race.
Handley followed the carpenter
trade in daytime and studied law al
night by candlelight after locating a. !,
Washington in 1854. His quick lrlsf
,y;t made him an apt law student
abont 1857 he married widow Wh(
had one son, child of feeble NINA
He afserward moved to Scranton tax
ing with him his bride and her son
They lived happily there for year
and prospered. Handley and his WIZ
later had some disagreement over In
management of the boy, which lea I
their separation. Mrs. Handley lei
Scranton and died in 1891 at Augusta
Ga, leaving a large fortune. 1t ma
generally been supposed that HAND
ley's treatment at the hands OF IN
Scranton people. which led him t
leave his fortune to Winchester. wa
promptd by his domestic troubles, bu
this is far from being correct.
Handley's first clash with Scrar
ton people came during the Civil Wa
neriod. He was regarded by many 8
"rebel spy and disloyal to tn
cause which the people OF Pennsy
vania held to be right. Hostility II
ward him was increased by his a
tivities as practicing lawyer befol
the Draft Commission, a body to r
cruit the Union armies, BY his wit al
brilliancy, he secured the dischar'
= from military service in the field
many who. while clamor!ng for ws