A BIG FORTUNE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19671, 15 July 1929, Page 8

A BIG FORTUNE.

WELLINGTON RESIDENT A CLAIMANT. [THE PRESS Special Serrlce.] WELLINGTON, July 14. The chance of coming into possession of a fortune, probably yielding over £IOO,OOO, does not often fall within the way of most people. On Saturday, however, Mr Oscar Aubrey Everingham, a mechanic in the employ of the Wellington Harbour board, related the romantic btory of the so-called Everingham millions, for which the members of bis family are at present pursuing their claims. In tracing back his relationship to Matthew James Everingham, a wealthy English merchant, who died about 90 years ago, leaving a fortune estimated to-dav to be worth £11.000.000. Mr Everingham said that this gentleman was known to have had four sons, three of whom had been completely lost trace of, while the fourth, George, went to Australia as a boy, settled, and married there. This George Everingham is proved by papers in Mr Everingham's possession to be his grandfather, and to his knowledge he is the onlv direct descendant at present residing in New Zealand. For about 90 vears this fortune has been in Chancery, and although there have been several attpmpt3 to claim it in the past, all the direct descendants, now mostly living in Australia, have combined in making a last determined effort to recover the fortune, as. after one hundred vears. the money automatically nasses'to the Crown. The family history relates that about 35 vears ago a certain lawver was eent to England on behalf of the family to trv to arrange for the distribution of the estate, but he died suddenly cm reaching there and was suspected to have been the victim "f foul plav. ?ince then nothing further has been done in the matter. A firm of Svdney solicitors have taken up the ca.se. free of charee. with the arrangement that thev receive an eoual share of the estate in common with other beneficiaries if the claim nroves su"cssfnl. It is understood that advertisements for claimants have appeared in the principal .4u«tra'ian paoers and approximately five hundred name* have been sent in. hut onlv direct, descendants, who number *hout a hundred, will be Mr Everingham stated that Murine his 2" vears' residence in v ew Zonl.nnd he has oilv mentioned +he matter to one or two intimate friends, and that on mak ; ne- these statements to the Pre«. he laid himse!f oiv>n to ridict'le if there were not ft eood chance of nrovin" his eliim. which mav take place within several months' tim»