Evening star., 1923-10-07

- ~-PPLEMENTARY to his multi
.tudinous other activities, our
resplendent Uncle Samuel
- maintains an extraordinary un-
dertaking establishment down in the
neighborhood of 18th and E streets
curious morgue Of dead mems
shoes where the personal effects of
American citizens and soldiers who
die abroad are stored In safety vaults
pending the appearance of the heirs
and claimants of these trinkets, keep
sakes. jewelry, treasures and-what-
not.
Thousands and thousands OF care
fully sealed parcels, ranging in size
from a little package inclosed in
stout manila enveIope-legal size pa
per-to containers larger than the
biggest shoe box are being held in
this novel port of unclaimed legacies.
If these mute. inconspicuous par
cells could but talk, what tales. they
could narrate-stories of battlefield
bravery and conquest, accounts OF
American adventurers and explorers
who dared unknown perils to add to
our scientific or practical knowledge,
intimate stories OF tine human tri-
angle and it's variegated issues. ex-
perience stories such as never were
written in novel, magazine or news
paper.
The origin of these articles, which
belong to missing next OF kin Is
anywhere on the world map. From
the scorching sands of the Sahara,
from the forest fastness OF the Con-
60. from the mines Of Siberia, from
the skyIand of the Alps, from trading
nosts on little islands of the seven
seas where venturesome Americans
Journey and die. their personal Ell
fects are, returnd to Washington to
be held by the Treasury Department
until the relatives can be found VINO
are the rightful heirs of the property.
When an American citizen passes
away on foreign soil, the American
consul in the nearest district is noti-
fed. Immediately he takes charge
of the personal effects of the deceased.
If there are relatives at hand, the
official transfers the articles to
their keeping. II the man has no
close relatives in that latitude, the
consul communicates with the Sec
retary of State in Washington, ad-
yising of the death and either CIV
ing the address of American relatives
to be notified or else requesting that
the State Department engage In
curious detective work and locate the
lawful heirs of the dead man.
Ordinarily the American consul
selects two local merchants who aid
him in inventorying the estate. All
the outstanding debts are paid and
moneys due him are collected and
credited to his estate. If the debts
are in excess of the available assets.
the personal effects are sold by the
consul, unless the American rela-,
tiyes intervene when notified and pay
the debts of their kinsn,an and rescue
his trinkets and jewelry from public
sale. In exceptional instances. the
American who dies abroad may have
named a legal trustee in his will. In
such rare cases, this trustee functions
In setting the estate in place OF
the consul.
T>HE American consul is allowed
modest fee of to Q per cent
of the value of the estate for his
services. The duties which the con-
sular service have to cover annually
in these fields are extensive ana
widespread, as the last reports OF
the State Department show that be-
tween 5000 and 1000 American citi-
xens die each year while VISITING
travelling through or living in foreign
countries.
After the consul has converted the
estate Of the dead man into cash
unless legal claimants appear as
legitimate heirs--he forwards the
funds and personal trinkets to the
treasurer of the United States. The
consul has supervision over only the
personal property of the deceased
citizen--all the real property Is gov
erned by the local laws of the for
eign land.
Many intricate and pushing leEal
questions arise In the settlement OF
the estates of Americans who die
abroad. In fact. one of the most im-
fportant activities of the American
consular service hinges around the
satisfactory settlement and solution
iof the complicated entanglements
which commonly occur.
II most or the foreign Countries
with which Uncle Sam has. negotiated