A FORTUNE IN CHANCERY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 29, 9 June 1913, Page 3

A FORTUNE IN CHANCERY.

Auckland, June 8. A romance of million® is working itself out in a series of circumstances which began with the death of an army veteran named Richard John Walter, at Point Chevalier. At the inquest held upon' the old man’s death, one of the witnesses, Mr T. W. Mayson, who was with Walter when he died, mentioned that deceased was supposed to be heir to a large fortune which he had never bothered to claim, as he was too old to trouble about money. Tim statement was published widely, atld advertisements relating to the matter appeared in various parts of the world. Many claimants have since written to Mr Mayson, and according to a statement made’ by him a new circumstance of unusual interest has appeared. In the first place, the dead man’s name was given as Walters, for by that name he usually went, but search showed that there was no final S on the surname. It appeared as “Walter” in various records, yet nearly all the claimants to his supposed estate were named Walters, except one. Investigations discovered the remarkable fact that there were two huge estates in Chancery, one belonging to a family named Walter and another appertaining to the name of Walters. The former appears to bo a million and a quarter; and the pt%r three millions. The only claimant \yhq has, appeared under the name of is a Christchurch resident, who claims tp bo a brother of the late Richard John Walter. He is duly moving to have his claim to the estate investigated in Chancery. The rest of the claimants—those named apparently reducible to two groups. It is explained by Mr Mayson that one is of a New,Zealand family, of whom some branches livedn Auckland. The other family . lives in South Africa. The New Zealand family hold themselves to be the senior group, and claim through a common ancestor. They come from the neighbourhood of the Walters Estate in Wales, have the! family religion, bear the family Christian names, and possess traditional and heirloom evidence. The South African family has already spent about £IOOO in moving the Court of Chancery on its behalf. The Court decided that there Was 'a missing link in it.s claim of desfcent. It can only act when every link is satisfactorily proved. Some of the claimants made a tour-of the world to 1 try to find a “Richard Jdlm jwho was' supposed ioiborthe last ]illlq, but they did not come to New Zealand.'Naturally many “prefeumed that'.the army pensioner of Point Chevalier tfas this important'persofa, but it is; now supposed that* the New Zealajad family; pit Walters' 1 numbers' a'lhofigsi its litem-j liters 'element fbr |he legjiti--rtiation O'f’the claim.* '