The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-07-22


s'A1H y NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. right to benefit should the
claims prove valid. He contends he Is the true
and legal great-grandson of the man who, 1t is
alleged, owned the $sOO.OOo000 tract of real es-
tate in the Quaker city. However, Mr.. Baker is
in no hurry.
Now, if you will look on page SIG of this
book he said, taking down copy of the BIO
graphical and Genealogical History of Indiana"
you will discover my fathers name. 1t shows
that my fathers grandfather was Jacob Baker
and that he born in Ludwigsburg, Baden.
Germany. He came to America and settled In
Pennsylvania
1T this Jacob Baker who acquired all that
property in Philadelphia. l have many papers
and records and documents to prove it. There
will be no trouble about connecting up my rela-
uonship. There are II true great-grandchidren.
We Will prove heirship."
Mr. Baker said that his family several years
ago collected fund and had the entire history
of Jacob Baker traced, even to his parents es-
tate in Germany.
"a cousin of mine has all of those records"
said Mr.. Baker "They will be produced"
IF you get the money. what them"
well. have long time to live, you know"
he said. I'll take my daughter, Emma. and her
husband, and We'll have little trip But there's
no worrying about that now There is no
hurry"
\ So,se of the Baker heirs are more impatient
8boutit than Chicago's Mr. Baker. This Is but nat
ural. inasmuch as Colonel Baker appears to have
been the family head from whom sprang q null
titudinous progeny. His heirs seem to be scat
tered through every state in the Union and every
province of Canada.
One day recently the bureau of legal aid de-
partment Of public welfare of Philadelphia ac
cordng to the chief Of that bureau, Romain Hass
rick, received eight inquiries relative the Baker
estate. In all correspondence it is represented
as an estate worth more than $S0O,OOO,O 900, con-
sistng of $50 in the business center of Phil
adephia. Some add all the land occupied by the
city of Chillicothe, O.
The eight inquiries cited having been re-
ceived single recent day came. respectively
from Kansas City, Mo-; Alton, Ia; Dubuque, Ia I;
Salt Lake City, Utah; Okamogan, Wash; Los
Angeles, CAL; Lebanon, Pa, and Tacoma, Wash.
The inquiries were penned, some of them on
embossed paper, others mere scraps of paper.
"The great majority of persons who write
to the mayor of Philadelphia to the director
of the department of public welfare relative to
Colonel Bakers holdings" said Mr.. Hassrick,
"have visions of easy wealth.
"Some credulous than others. Re-
Gently there came to me from Portland, Ore, an
inquiry accompanied by newspaper clipping
which told Of the marvellous good luck of citi-
of that town. The article spoke of his hav-
ing founded automobile school on a capital
of $3.50 five years ago and added, To-day he Is
heir to millions This alleged fortunate descend
ant of the famous Colonel Baker did not
seem to know exactly how large slice he was
to get out of this estate But. with hope burn
ing his breast he settled up his affairs in Port
land and started for Philadelphia to claim the
gold that he thought there awaited him.
"From Alton, Ia, came an inquiry from per-
son who wants to get In touch with the at
torney, or attorneys, handling the 'biion-dollar
Baker estate. This Is of the highest ap-
prasements of the value Of this estate that has
reached the Office of the bureau
"a western newspaper printed a general state
ment about this Baker estate which trans
mitted from the East and Immediately there
sprang I'D a retinue of claimants. with names
ranging from Shroades to Anderson, and all ap-
parently evincing earnest interest in the es-
tate of Colonel Baker.
"Only the other day there came to the city a
LAWYER from Kansas City bent on getting the
true facts relative to Colonel Baker and his vast
wealth. This attorney insisted upon digging
through the court records and ascertaining what
are the real facts"
IF the Baker estate idea Is sound, Philadelphia s
famed city hall, with its massive stone tower
town clock and bronze statue of ye esteemed
william Penn, belongs to a thousand or more
farmers of the Northwest and Canada
Such a trife as Scottish Rite Cathedral,
of the most famous homes of Free Masonry In
tbe United States, is to provide spending money
for folks out along the Pacific coast.
Broad Street Station, home terminal of
tbe PENNSYLVANIA railroad, is to be split up
among the agriculturists of the middle West.
The Quaker city's skyscrHper belt the modern
steel and concrete canyons that mark the boun-
Aarfes of Broad and Chestnut streets. are in re-