A ROMANCE OF MILLIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 7, 9 June 1913, Page 5

A ROMANCE OF MILLIONS.

A CURIOUS CASE.

A FORTUNE IN CHANCERY.

Per Press Association,

Auckland Last Night. A romance of millions is working itself out in a series of circumstances which began with the death of an army I veteran named Richard John Walter, lat Point Chevalier. At the inquest held I upon the old man's death, one of the I witnesses, Mr. T. W. Mayson, who was 1 with Walter' when he, died mentioned I that deceased was supposed to be heir i to a large fortune which he had never ! bothered to claim as he was too old to about money. The statement was published widely, and advertisements relating to the matter appeared l in various parts of the world Many claimants have since written to Mr. Mayson, and according to a statement made by hita 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 re-, cords, yet nearly all the, claimants to his supposed estate were named Walt-' ers, (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 he a ] million and a quarter, and the other three millions. The only claimant who ■ has appeared' under the name of Walter, is a Christchurch resident, who claims to be a brother' of the late Richard John Walter. He is duly moving to have his i claim to the estate investigated in Chancery. The rest of the claimants—those named Walters—are apparently reducible to two groups. It is explained by Mr. Mayson that one is of a New Zeafamily, of whom some branches live in 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 lias already spent about £I,OOO in moving the Court of Chancery on its behalf, . The Court decided that there was a missing link in its claim of descent.' It : can only act when every link is satisfactorily proved. Some of the claimants made'a tour of the world to try to find a "Richard John Walters," who was supposed to be the last link, but they did not come to New Zealand Naturally manv nresnmed that the armv pensioner of Point Chevalier was this important person, but it is now supposed that the New Zealand familv of Y\ alters numbers amongst its members the last element fori.the legitimation of the cJaifh. : . : ■