A BANKRUPT HEIR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2868, 9 April 1888, Page 3

A BANKRUPT HEIR.

Extraordinary Story. Mr Thomas Fitzmanrice Burke, the enterprising and imaginative gentleman who made his debut in a section of Londou society last autumn as an heir-at-law to an apocryphal Auckland millionaire, christened Samuel Burke Lowe or Loan, made his appearance at the.Bankruptcy Court last week to accojflfrfor having run up debts to the A extent of £5,292, without any assets. ;0 Mr Burke's career, according to the Dunedin Star's Borne correspondent, appears to have been a remarkable one. His father left him only £l5O a year, but he seems to have been continually in expectation of inheriting largo sums from revives, He told everyone he anticipated receiving £25,000 from . the estate of his aunt Lady Maitland, "but when that venerablo lady at length died, she left him nothing; moreover, the value of her estate was shown to be under £3,000. Likewise, on fclio death of his brother, Mr Burke should have got £3OO a year, but there was an awkward condition attached to the will, and it slipped through his fingers, Mr Burke was for some timo in the militia, and had also supported himself by teaching music. He was made .bankrupt in 1861, and appaventifltimder awkward circumstances, for nPhever got his discharge, Everything,' however, comes to him who waits, and in September last Mr Burke received the joyful tidings that be was heir-at-law to the vast fortune of two and a half millions sterling, left by his half-brother, a New Zealand squatter, who had recently " turned up » J»b toes" iu Auckland, The intelligence

was quickly communicated to friends, and tradesmen, and presently found ils ; way into the " Society" papers. Mr j Burke for several weeks had a good : : time, Tradesmen were delightfully accommodating; so much so, indeed, s that lie managed to run 14000 in debt j almost without knowing it, At length I some deplorably envious person be- j thought himself to question the managerof a Now Zealand bank and a! certain C.M.G, anent the deceased Auckland millionaire, Strange to say, neither they nor any other Anglo-Now Zealanders had over hoard of Mi - Lowo or Loan; moreover, some of them had ' absolutely the assurance to quote Betsy 1 Prig and declare that they "didn't believe there was any such person." This incredulity greatly alarmed Mr : Burke. It was, he said, just possible that he might have been hoaxed; but why should anyono play off such ut painful (and for his creditors expensive) practical joke upon bim 1 To which the creditors answered " Ah I whyj" At the Bankruptcy Court Mr Bartram, acting for his creditors, was orcinously curious as to how the news of his colossal legacy reached Mr Burke, The latter declined to state who gave him the information as tending to criminate himself. The Registrar insisted upon the question being answered, but Mr Burke (acting upon legal advice) still refused, upon which it was resolved to refer the difficulty to the Judge.' If the latter decides that Mr Burke must supply the information he will be in a nice quandary. The case comes on again on March 1.