LONELY MAN’S FORTUNE

Evening Star, Issue 20060, 28 December 1928, Page 14

LONELY MAN’S FORTUNE

NO WILL OR RELATIVES , WINDFALL FOR THE GROWN A life of loneliness devoted to the joys of art and literature has resulted in a windfall for the British Treasury. , Air Adolphus Herman Louis died at ins 1 beautiful house, Beaulieu, High Beech, Epping, without making a will, and a close search failed to reveal any relatives living. Therefore, the, whole of ! his properly goes to the Crown. Mr Louis had business interests in London, but for some years Inni ceased to attend personally to them. Instead, he preferred to shut himself up 111 his Epping home surrounded by ids pictures and hooks and attended only by his servant Uf friends he had few, and these ho saw only rarely. Thus the ( slogan "On behalf of the Crown,’’ which lopped the front of the auctioneer’s catalogue, transformed a sale of " funiitore and effects ’’ into an affair of mystery and romance. _ Lonely .Ur Louis, who was over sixty when ho died, had the temperament of an artist and a hook lover. They knew him well in most of the public libraries at the sale rooms of West End auctioneers where art treasures were to be bought and at the art galleries. French by descent, English by birth and inclination, he was a hero worshipper and especially did he reverence the late W. E. Gla'dstcne. Two photographs of the great Liberal leader

were among the treasures sold. He had a quiet sense ol humour, too, and had original sketches by Phil May, which he occasionally showed with a (dry chuckle FAMOUS AIITIST’S WOBKS. Mr Lon is was wrapped up in his love of art. He was by no means the cynic many people pictured him. His appearance was striking and Ins conversation—when ho did talk—was interest-, ing. The pictures he collected are of the rarest, with water colours, mezzotints, and sketches. Among the arfisls represented arc Corot, Constable. Loader East, Tadema, Whistler, Birket Foster, and I’hil May. AU schools of art arc here. Some of tlio treasures were purchased from the famous Andrew Young collection Mr Louis’s library is a collection of 6,(J00 volumes. The books are exceedingly valuable, and tlicir variation shows his versatility. There are early editions of Dickens and Thomas Hardy, biographies, works of travel and adventure A hamster of whom an interviewer inquired cou-jcniing the law of estates, which, m die technical phrase, are

“escheat to the Crown,’’ said that before a sale of property is arranged and the proceeds handed to the Crown the utmost care is taken to make sure that no relative of the dead person exists. Advertisements are inserted in several newspapers, and careful investigation is made by representatives of the Treasury. When once-the money is handed over, however, claimants .rave no power to sue except by that canons proceeding known as - petition of right. Before he can take the first step the claimant must receive the permission of the Attorney-General to sue. “ There have been many cases in which large sums were unclaimed and went to the Crown,’’ said the barrister, “ The Angoll Estate, which recently came into prominence, is one of these, This involves capital to the enormous j extent of £60,000.000. \'!T\ L SCRAPS OF PAPER. “ The , there were the Crawfurd millions and the Jennens millions, which are said to have formed the basis of the Jarndyce v Jarndyce action in Bleak House.’ Many men and women have impoverished themselves in ihcir attempts to obtain a share of the huge estate. “There are many smaller sums which come as windfalls to the Crown. Not long ago a man died in the East End of London and as he apparently had no legal representative, the Crown came into the possession of some £6,000. “ Afterwards a claimant arrived on the scone, and there was no doubt hut that ho was a descendant. Representations were made to the Treasury, and an application was made for permission to proceed by a petition of right. A .settlement wis eventually made without the case going into court. “There is much inquiry work to be done before any claim can he accepted! Birth and marriage certificates must be examined ; and it may bo, as in the case of the Jennens millions, that the only link in the chain of evidence that is missing is scrap of parchment. But with the lapse of years the possibility of obtaining an estate grows fainter and fainter.”