£100,000 WINDFALL.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 63, 12 September 1908, Page 2

£100,000 WINDFALL.

ROMANTIC STORY

LOX.DON, July 11

A. romantic story of a big windfallcomes from Sunderland. A poor Durham miner, named Ernest. Bar-ni-vtt Douglass, who lives at Wirigate, 1 in tlie heart of the colliery district jr has just been informed; that he is entitled to a fortune of no less' than £100,000. The money was left by a certain William Dawson Barnett, who besides being interested in a successful gold .mme-.keld shares in. several industrial -. concerns. On his death in. London, about 'two, years" ago, he bequeathed tho whole of his -fortune -to his greatnephew, but efforts to trace the heir, f ailed, and tlie money went .dntoc Chancery. " ; . |. I A Sunderland firm of solicitors! have, however/ .succeeded 'in estab-1 .lisliing the fact that Ernest Barnetif Douglass, of Wingate, is the grand-! nephew mentioned in the. will. t Douglass at proseilt occupies an uii4! , pretentious <jpttage in a street ncai| Wingate-. Colliery, where he formerly^worked 1 - as' a shift e'K * He has noif worked, however, since the Wingato; Colliery .disaster,? two years ■ ago, ow-i---ing to ill-health, and he and his wife; and family have been in very strait-^ cued circumstances, having to apply.; i'or pariah relief. j? Two- of Douglass' s: .-mates? were kill* ed in the' : Win-gate disaster, and ha would probably have shared thesame£ fate, .but foj : tl^e fact, Jhat Jie was[apprehensive of something occurring and stayed at home, altliough^ho- ha<f hiS -working; clothes on. < | Interviewed by a newspaper repref ■sentative yesterday Douglass fold hore' on another occasion lie narrowly esf caped. .. iAbput twenty. years}' ago lie? was onihfe wjay to Victoria Hall,lSun| derland, and changed his mind and turned back. • / Many children 'theii perished in a terrible panic at thd* r= halL-v-. ;•■-.. ;■'"■■'