The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-11-22

= tsSN su~s Nv kIhSe ~ .LuS Drowning
millions has been found.
The 0reenville News Of Sunday. has
the following 10 say In regard to the
I search for the .1ost millions:"
A8tsr months Of tireless search on
ths part Of attorneys and individuals
resjding In South Carolina, North
Carolina and Georgia to locate an un-
claimed sstate said to have been Led. !.
" Thomas Y. Browning in Texas oi.
fields 5and valyef at approximately
i$160, 600, 900, those in closest touch
! With the effort express themselves as
positive that the rumor of the lost
fortune II without foundation. With
emery thread Of story which might
lead 30 q trace Of the estate, followed
4 closely to sits> end, the origin OF the
4: NJ tale has been unearthedy 1t Is
Thought BY C. r. Haynsworth of
! yHaynsworth 4 Haynsworth Of Green
!. vllls. who hiss been in the, employ Of
!: several descendants Of the supposed
i On king. :,
Aithoagh details arc lacking, it
.sscsus that an aged gentleman of
HnoSyflle. Tenn, had clipped a story
! printed In = Texas newspaper In
43ic6 san accoupt Of the death of
:! u Bfc#n.ng was given, Ac:
r. TIE newspspsr aceoant. r
ieid TINT Mr. Rfeyning had died
Z ff3Sx|s$S 81 ietst7 epii
Ands VALUED At approximately $780,
J. o00 00o, With no viii to guide the Of
disposing Of tho property.
Although little seems to have been
known of the man, the account ven
ttred that Mr., Browning had conn
from the East and become wealth;
after oil had been discovered on his
lands, It was said. S'fE
Several years later, It seems, the
Knoxville man in conversation with
asfriend by the name of Browning
zxfom North Carolina mentioned. the
Clipping and told the story given ~
the newspaper. The two agreed tha;
!: taaet descendants Of Thomas ". Brown
ing were Of the South Carolina family
nf that name and the North, Carolina
man informed Mary Ann and Martha
Pike Of this city, and distant descend
ants, Of the estate.
>"It Was at this time that news
paper reports became, frequent over
the two Carolinas and Georgia in re-
gard to the. fortune somewhere IN
Texas and descendants from each O
the three states were quick to trace
their ancestry and put in their claim
for a-share ofSthe vast estate. At,
torneys were. employed to 60 to Texas
to se6rchs for clues that would lead
them to the unclaimed property and
records, were secured in hopes that
some light would be thrown on the
mystery. All Of these efforts were
1ruitless for; no one In Texas had
heard Of an estate left unclaimed or
,sven once owned by . Thomas v.
Browning. Az last resort, the orr,
gin Of the story was then traced and
10 the disappointment Of many, it
was learned that ithad come into ex-
istcnce through the newspaper clip
ping hsld by the Knoxville man. And
they suffered second sore disap,
pointment, for the old gentleman Of
Knoxville lad died and the scrap Of
paper telling OF the lost fortune had
disappeared a. completely as had the
fortune. Despite all efforts to re-
cover the. clipping, 1t has not been
! xsund ~ yet and probably never will
be.
'sFrom records taken from dust
covered chests, the account Of man
hy tie name of Thomas ". Brown
Ing. leaving his home near Che Old
Hundred school house, Greenville
county, In 1863 or shortly before the
Confsdsrate war, AZ q mere boy to
! sssk his fortune In the West, 10 FOUND,
ikxis said.s Since that time moth 'ng
M been heard Of the pioneer until
about seven month"; ago, when a
Stanesr giving his name as Brown.
~ reached this city In search Of M
4psmation about che family, that he
sskk eocAte descendants Of the de-
scsassd Oh king. And then the story
sprsad HE wildnrs ard investigations
were begun BY many from MI parts
q - thrss statse.
yosepA Browning, min opera
~ u Qrseupboro, N. c.. seems to
ho3e hssn one Of the most active in
teo6lpg the elusive collection Of mil.
(Coa&inusd On last pags)
4 - 4