The New York herald., 1921-05-23
MILLIONS IN sight,
HE Will AID GIRLS
Clergyman Who Saved Wo-
man Derelict Expects to
Get $4,000, 900.
ONLY SURVIVING HEIR
Father, Grateful for Restor-
alton Of His Child, Made
Him an Executor.
VAST FORTUNE ELUSIVE
Rev. ID. s. X. Byrne Certain
That All Legal Barriers Will
Be Surmounted.
VAST FORTUNE ELUSIVE

| storation to her parents, and to a train
Of events beside which some of our
best fiction seems dull, the Canadian
/ clergyman owes his expectation Of
! great wealth.
That this expectation is well found
ed, and not the effect of delusion, is
indicated by properly attested legal
papers which Mr. Byrne permitted a
reporter for THE New YORK HERALD
to examine in his rooms at the Hotel
Claridge yesterday.
The fortune is conservatively esti-
mated, according to Sthe opinion of a
Florida court, at $22,000.000. That,
says Mr.. Byrne, was based upon valu-
ations of several years ago. He thinks
the sum is now about s42 100000.
He has repeatedly said that when
the estate came into his hands he
would use it in doing good. He has
intimated that he would try chiefly to
enable girls who have gone astray to
make themselves useful members Of
society. Yesterday he said specifically
he had made up his mind to start with
| Chicago.
Home, Not n Refuge.
II intend to offer quite large sum
to the people Of Chicago" he said. Pos
sibly 1t will be $4,000. 900, possibly
| $4,000. 900. Perhaps l shall ask the peo-
pie OF Chicago to contribute a sum
| equal to what / give. 1t will be used
to build and establish a home for girls
| and women, to be called the Lucy Lillian
| Byrne Memorial Home Don't call 1t a
refuge. I like the word home. 1t must
| be real home, where girls who need
it can have protection and kindly care.
and will be taught useful things so that
they may become self-supporting."
Mr.. Byrne would not disclose his
purposes further. He was reluctant to
talk at all. He said he didn't want
any publicity" But as he had recently
received legal papers which strengthen
his claim to the fortune and apparently
| speed the day of it's delivery to him. he
was willing to show them.
In 1906 Mr.. Byrne, who was not a
minister at that time, but was in busi-
ness in Canada, visited a brother in Chi
cago. Summing as Gospel worker, he
was invited by a young woman to buy
her a drink. He told her he wouldn't
do that but would pray for her. He
knelt, and as he prayed the girl, he says.
left him, intent on having a drink. He
crossed the street to a restaurant. The
girl came in. apologized for her Jdisap-
pearance and said she had thought II
over and maybe the prayer might help
her. She reformed and went back to her
parents, who at one time had home
in Pittsburgh. but then lived in Florida.
| Her father was William George Byrne
the first name having originally been
Wellington. He was of Scotch and
| Spanish parentage. He never learned tc
write. and to his last day used an X
mark as his signature. but he had a
/ great head for business. He acquired
says the minister. oil, mining. grazing
and timber lands in many countries. ano
much other property, so widely scattered
that he never knew just what he was
worth.
How the Fortune Came. -
Two years after the family reunion
Lucy Lillian Byrne, the girl of the Chi
cago episode. died. Later I'm the sam,
year her father died at White Springs
Fla. Attested copies of the will enc
a summary OF IL, which the reporte,
saw yesterday show that in the will
100000 was left to servants, a thirc
OF the estate to the widow, a quarter tc
the daughter. a quarter to the only son
George w Byrne. and the residue Il
David s. Kidd, conditioned on the las
named changing his name to David S. X
Byrne. The Canadian who had set Luc.
Byrne on the straight path was David S
Kidd-the present Rev. David s. X
Byrne.
BY a codicil, added after tho daugh
ter's death, her share, In addition TO th
residuary estate, was given to David
Kidd. who, the reporter was told yester
day, had seen the rich Mr.. Byrne onl.
once in his life, and even now has n,
clear picture in his mind Of the manne
Of man w. @. Byrne was A trust fun,
OF s1,5S0,000 was established In Lucy
memory for aiding wayward girls Davi
s. Kidd was named as an executor Of tn
will. along with the widow and son o
w. G. Byrne. III the widow and sol
died before the will was probated MI
Kidd was to be sole executor and was 4
have their shares as well
1T was peculiar will" the Rev
David 8. Kidd Byrne said at the Claridg
yesterday. and indeed IL was For on
thing. each executor or beneficiary hal
10 prove his or her Identity In the pres
ence OF the Probate Judge no notary o
other attesting officer would do. The
were forbidden TO use copies OF the vii
or other document for the purpose o.
raising money on prospective bequests
Two Heirs Believed Drowned.
The three executors-Mrs. Lucy Sellnr
Byrne, George w. Byrne and David g
In compliance with the wish OF the t-sta
tor-eet ahoue their task OF collecting
the necessary proof from the score o.
countries In which w q. Byrne's prop
erty lay. In 1914 Mrs. Lucy Byrn.
and her son were In Australia They
we're to 70 to Europe in the spring ot
that year and In November were to meet
the third executor. who had become the
Rev David $. X. Byrne IN Spain, there
to make an appraisal
To the best OF the Rev. Mr.. Byrne''
belief he said yesterday. the widow and
her son came from Australia TO New
York by way Of the Panama Canal. went
b. train to Montreal embarked on the
steamship Empress Of Ireland and were
drowned In the sinking OF that vessel
with the loss Of more than thousand
lives. In the St. Lawrence River on May
20. 1914
He has no proof that they so died
Their bodies were never found. or II so
not identified. Mr.. Byrne believes they
lie with the unidentified dead In 2
cemetery beside the river. Their friends
did not even known for sure that they
took passage on the Empress Of ire
land. Their namer we're not on the pas