THE EXTRAORDINARY WILL SWINDLE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2295, 26 March 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE EXTRAORDINARY WILL SWINDLE.

♦ The Rev. Canon Bagot, of Dublin, has just given some further details as to his investigations into the bogus bequests to the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church. The particulars deal with his correspondence with the English Foreign Office, and the reports of lawyers and detectives engaged in the case. It will be remembered that intimation was sent to Ireland some months back that a Mr Moore had died in Denver, Colorado, aDd had left £50,000 behind him in bequests to the Irish Protestant Church and other denominations. Canon Bagot, after correspondence with the Foreign Office, was sent out to Denver to receive the money, and there discovered there was no will producible, no testator that could be traced, and no silver mine which was alleged to have been the testator's source of wealth. Canon Bagot now now considers it a well-planned scheme to obtain money under false pretences?, and blames the Foreign Office, and particularly its acting Consul at Denver, for the mode of inquiry pursued. The alleged swindler is stated be Mr Keegan, a Denver lawyer, and the Foreign Office are charged with confining nil ♦■.heir inquiries to the swindler himself. Lord Rnsebery assured Canon Bagot that lveegan's statements were true, and upon this a number of noblemen and gentlemen met in Dublin, and provided the canon with requisite funds to proceed to Colorado. The actual expenses incurred, including lawyer.--' fees and detectives' fees, come to orer £000, and Canon Bagot now suggests that application be made to the Government to pay this out of the Church surplus. The one satisfaction to Canon Bagot is that— though the lawyer, Keegan, must have spent a considerable time in organising the swindle—he never got one cent, from him. Should the Government l'efuse to pay the canon's expenses, a subscription will be started. Canon Bagot says one McCarthy, a prominent member of the Irish dynamite party, joined with Keegan to get as much money as possible out of the canon, but McCarthy believed the wild story to be true, and now offers 100 dollars towards Keegan's prosecution. Keegan demanded £1.000 down before any security for the bequeathed money was given. Canon Bagot, however, refused, and made proposals to the effect that on the production of the will and property Keegan should receive 5,000 dollars and 10 per cout. on any property realised over 50,000 dollars. Keegan promptly refused.