The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-11-06
WEST BURKE
MAN MAY SHARE
IN MILLIONS
Richard Demanage New
Claimant to Huge For
tune I'm France

y
Burke man who is to share in the
$12,000,000 fortune which is now
awaiting American heirs in France.
The Caledonian-Record recently
carried a story of the st. Johns
bury people who are expected to
benefit by this huge fortune.
The Post story follows:
Windsor, Vt, Oct. 30.-Here
in cell 1913 of the Vermont State
prison is a gray-faced, callous,
handed convict who is rich enough
to buy the whole jail and turn it
into a country mansion. When he
behaves himself and has good luck
he is allowed as a treat the privl-
lege of shovelling coal for a Wind
sor dealer. Even this temporary
"holiday' outside the prison walls
is denied him at present and he is
nursing an liberated tooth behind
the bars of his cell cage.
He is Richard Demange, a.
years old, of West Burke, Yer
mont, doing a sentence of from
two to three years. He has been a
laborer all his life, but he has re-
Gently learned that he is heir to
fortune of $12,000,000 in actual
cash. It is in the Bank of France at
Paris, drawing more interest daily
than No. 1913 ever spent since he
was born.
A century ago there were two
Demanage brothers, sons Of a
wealthy French land owner, Mich
olas Demanage, younger of the two
was not of the temperament to re-
main at home and accept the char
ity of the older ON who was heir
to the estate. He came to America
and sought to make a fortune for
himself in the Canadian border
lands. He did not care for the role
of prodigal son and never went
back to France. Communication
between the two branches of the
family was dropped.
Nicholas in America married and
brought up family. When his
children had also married he died
in the little village of Wickham,
Quebec, and was ouried there in
the church yard cemetery.
His spirit of adventure was
strong in his descendants. They
migrated to New England.
Meantime the less sturdy stock
of the Demanages in France had
been dwindling out. The death Of
Nicholas brother left a sizeable
fortune, but there were no heirs to
be found. The Paris lawyers had
no clue to whereabouts of Nicho-
las in the New Word. Canada was
a large place, arG IN those days
ocean travel was a lengthy and
serious business.
The half-hear;ed search was
soon given up. With Gallo pa
tience, the executors sat back to
wait until claimant to the Deman-
age money should come and ask
for it. Nobody came. Compounded
interest is a busy little worker.
The figures on the banks annual
statements grew larger. 1t is %
years old now and the present to-
tai is Just over S12,000,000.
That is a lot or francs and in his
narrow cell, Richard Demanage
dreams day dreams of what he will
do with all that stored up wealth.
He is the grandson of Nicholas
Demanage, and according to in
vestigators, he is one of the three
equal heirs to the S12 900, 900.
He is feverishly counting the
days until he can get out of prison
to assist in the establishing of his
identity and the identity of the
long dead Nicholas.
His brother and sister in st.
Johnsbury are already engaged in
that undertaking, and are prepar-
ing to sail for France to present
their case to the Probate Court
there.
They are first informed of their
claim to the money by acquaint-
ances who had heard this story of
the ownerless estate and were
struck by the likeness of the
names.
The only weak link in chain of i
supporting the Demangc |
claims is the absence of birth re-
cords proving the relation of the
living Demanges to their grand
father, Nicholas Demange. These |
papers were misiaid years ago !
when the Wickham church was
moved to the larger town of Drum
monsville.
The records in Parish house
were barly mixed up, and the De-
mango papers have not yet been
found. Lawyers have assured the ,
claimants, however, that their +
case can possibly win on what
evidence they already have.
Hardest of fcnard Demange's
hard luck, is the fact that he isn't
able to imagine himself a multi
He believes he is go
ing to get the money, but it does
MT mean anything to him.
He said today that he thinks he
will celebrate his access TO wealth !
by a trip to "hignfalutin" dentist.
His hands are twisted and de-
formed by years of hard work. He
has never learned to read we'll |
enough to spell out even the Simp-
lest stories of the wonders Of the I