A ROMANTIC CASE IN COURT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3585, 8 January 1883, Page 4

A ROMANTIC CASE IN COURT.

! A Norwich (Conn.) dispatch to the New York Sun says:—"A romantic case has been brought to the attention of the Superior Court in this county. A year or two , preA'ious to the Alexican war, Benjamin F. . BroAA-n, a competent schoolmaster, 21 years • old, son of a Avell-to-do farmer—John Brown, of North Stouington—ran away , from home. His parents never received any tidings of him. He Avent to Alexico, . and in the war that began soon afterwards served in a regiment of United States dragoons. As he sjioke Spanish fluently he soon became interpreter on General Taylor's staff. After the close of hostilities he Avent to Corpus Christi, and married a beautiful Spanish girl, Innocence Castillo. The couple Avent to Laredo, Tex., and there lived happily until 18GG, Avhen Brown, who had changed his name after the close of the Alexican Avar to Benjamin F. Wrowan, Avas murdered by brigands. He left a wife and four children —Frank, Benjamin, Juan, and Isabella. During Ids married life he had spoken only Spanish in his household, aud his family, avlio kncAv nothing of English, Avere unacquainted Avith his real name or his history prior to his marriage. At about the tiiiie that Wrowan was killed, his aged father in North Stouington died, leaving his farm, worth 10,000dols. or 15,000d015., to six heirs, including the missing Benjamin and his brother John, the latter of Avhoni had settled in Stouington, 111. In 1873 the heirs to the North Stouington properly had it sold by order of the Superior Court, and the portion due to each avus properly assigned, Avith the exception of Benjamin's share. That Avas deposited in the Chelsea SaA-ings Bank of this city in the name of Jeremiah Halsey, trustee. At the same time a copy of the Court order avus sent to the latest known address, of Benjamin. As the family of the dead man Avere living under a false name, the order never reached them. In 1881, Frank, the oldest son of Benjamin's widoAV, determined to learn English, so as to understand the contents of his father's papers. After getting a smattering of English he found among his father's private documents a letter from'his Illinois brother that furnished the first clue to AVroAvan's early history. The letter was dated Stonington, 111., November IG, 1858, and was signed, 'Your Brother John.' It spoke of the writer's aged parents in the county, and of their life-long soitoav over Benjamin's early disappearance. The boy, Frank, at once Avrote the Illinois Postmaster, asking about John AVroAvau. The reply was that there was no such person, but that a man had lived and died in Stouington, 111., named John Brown, aud that he came from North Stouington, Conn. The boy then Avrote to the Postmaster in North Stouington, and established in his oayu opinion the fact that his father was B. F. BroAvn. Through Air Halsey, the trustee of Benjamin's share of the BroAvn estate, a hearing- was had last Avcek before Chief Justice Park, of the Superior Court, aud a : petition in equity granted. It is probable that the heirs of the late B. F. AVrowan ' will soon come into possession of their share of the Brown estate." I