TALE OF TWO FORTUNES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 79, 16 March 1935, Page 13

TALE OF TWO FORTUNES

New Zealander Gets £50,000 RICH PRIZE WON AND LOST Stories of fortunes, whether won or lost, never fail to interest the general publie, and in one week Sydney heard of how a New Zealand ex-soldier fought for 22 years to win a fortune of £50,000, and how a Sydney man lost a newly-won prize of £5OOO before he. had time to enjoy it. The lucky man was Mr. Arthur Blackwell, who enlisted with the 2nd New Zealand Battalion, and served at Gallipoli. Of late years he spent most of his time on the goldfields at Temora, New South Wales, in 1913, Mr. Black well’s father, a wealthy dealer, died at Bristol. Mr. Blackwell, who had been out of touch with home affairs for some time, had lost his birth certificate, and eo began a long fight to prove his identity. He never had a doubt but that the fortune left by bis father would come his way, but he did not anticipate that, such a time would elapse before he had control of his inheritance. The war intervened and M>. Blackwell enlisted. His two brothers were killed on the second day of fighting at Gallipoli and he himself was badly wounded. “Most of the family and half of me are scattered over the battlefields,” he said. He had to go to England in 1920 to get doctors to “build a new face” for him, at a cost of £2OOOO. He is now the only member of the family left. Succeeding at last in convincing the English authorities of his identity, Mr. Blackwell left for England to collect his fortune. “I am not telling exactly how much money was left me, but it is well over £50.000.” he said before sailing. “Back at Temora I did any job I could get. Times were bad occasionally. and now that T have the money T am not going to forget those who stood by me. They are the diggers of Temora. T hope to be back at Temora in .Tune, After that 1 will take a world tour with my wife and nine-year-old daughter.” Fate was not so kind to a Sydney man. who recently won the first prize of £s ft nn in the New South Wales lottery. Elderlv and of simple tastes, he considered the total prize beyond his modest needs, so he gave £2500 to charity. Then a man made a claim for a half share of the money, stating in an affidavit that ho was a half-pur-chaser in the ticket. Pending litigation, the priza-winner planed the remainder of the money with a solicitor for safekeeping, but it was alleged the money and a, clerk disappeared at the same time. All efforts bv directives to trace the tnonev failed, and the mnn who considered himself rich beyond his dreams is now almost destitute.