Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-10-03

their town. Strangers walked about
their streets with an air of propri-
etorship, and strange attorneys spent
hours examining gravestones and
records and asking prying questions.
Then societies called Springer
Heirs associations began to spring up
everywhere New York state,
especially around Rochester and
Syracuse, sprouted particularly
rich crop, and one man in Syracuse
pretended to have the mysterious
lost lease which would settle the
whole matter. That fall a meeting
supposed to represent all the Spring
ers in Ohio was held in Cleveland,
where ARRANGEMENTS of the prelimt-
naries for taking over the whole in
heritance were gravely discussed.
Denver had an association. Tacoma
was the headquarters for the North
west, and Los Angeles, always in
terested in real estate potentialties,
led a particularly active society.
In Wilmington itself there lived a
number of the heirs of the real
Charles Christopher Springer, and
they gave the claim no credit, but
elsewhere the value put upon it
varied directly as the distance from
it's supposed location. At Rochester
and in Ohio an $S0,000,000 estimate
was accepted, even though the total
assessed valuation OF Wilmington at
that time was only 100000, 900. In
Denver the estimate rose to Sl2O,-
100000, while out on the Pacific
coast il was taken at an even
$500, 100000.
In this more virgin soil, too, there
were the added attractions of a
castle in Sweden, seven farms near
Stockholm and big batch of
Swedish Government bonds and
banknotes. Just how many heirs
claimed all this nobody knew, but
Wilmington got the impression that
if each claimant received dollar,
the $S0,000,000 would have to be
stretched to go round.
In September of that year a dele
cation of representatives from many
Eastern States and others as far
away as California and Washington
visited the city and, after making an
investigation, reported that thorough
search of the court and church
records convinced them it would be
useless to attempt to recover any
thing.
Wilmington thought this would
end the matter, but it did not. In
stead, records of sales of claims"
began to arrive for filing with the re-
corder of deeds, the price received
varying widely. One man in Mime
sofa sold a quarter of his interest
for $500. and an Ohioan parted with
half of his for $75. Other wrote
they had heard the estate was to be
divided Immediately and asked to
have their shares sent on by regis
tered letter or express. whichever
was most convenient for such large
sum"
Finally in desperation the local Of
ficials got out a form statement de-
claring the matter had been investi-
gated thoroughly by many of the
members of the New Castle county
bar, land no one has ever been able
to find any basis for such a claim"
The real Charles Christopher
Springer, they stated, was a rather
considerable man for his times. He
could read and write, but he nowhere
appears on the records of Delaware
as ever having been the owner of
800 acres of land or the lessor OF
$50 acres to the Old Swedes Church.
He was a devoted churchman, read
ing the service when the clergyman
was absent, serving as senior warden.
and being much trusted by the CON
gregation,
One time the church had ire
mendous windfall, its records show.
One Anne Stallcop gave it a deed for
500 acres, taking in large part OF
what is now Wilmington. To handle
and realize on this property proved
rather a difficult matter for the un-
incorporated church till the members
solved it by voting Springer power OF
attorney to act for them all. He ac-
cepted the trust, and a copy of the
power of attorney is now on record.
HE and the other church war
dens," wrote the mayor and post
master in their statement, made
plenty of deeds and leases of this
nj, OF in