ESTATE IN CHANCERY

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 138, 13 June 1913, Page 7

ESTATE IN CHANCERY

CLAIMED BY CHRISTCHURCH RESIDENT.

A romance of millions is working itself out in a series of circumstances which 'began with the death of an army veteran named Richard John Walter, at Point Chevalier, Auckland. At the inquest held upon the old man's death one of the witnesses, Mr T. W. Mayson, who was with Walter

when he died, mentioned that the deceased was supposed to be heir to a large fortune which he had never

bothered to claim, as he was too old to trouble about money. The statement was published widely, and advertisements relating 'to the matter appeared in various parts of the world. Many claimants have since written to Mr Mayson, and according to a statement made by him a new circumstance of unusual interest has appeared. In the first place, the dead man's name was given as Walters, for by that name he usually went, but search showed that there was no> final

"s" on the surname. It appeared as "Walter" in various records, yet nearly all claimants to his supposed estate were named Walters, except one. Investigations discovered the remarkable fact that there were two huge estates in Chancery, one belonging to a family named Walter- and another appertaining to the name Walters. The former appears to be a million and a quarter, the other three millions. The only claimant who has appeared under the name of Walter is a Christchurch resident who claims to be a brother of the late Richard John Walter. He is duly moving to have his claim to the estate investigated in Chancery. The rest of the claimants—those named Walters—are apparently reducible to two groups, explained Mr Mayson. One is a New Zealand family, of whom some branches live in Auckland, the other family lives in South Africa. The New Zealand family hold themselves to be the senior group, and claim through a common ancestor. Thfty come from the neighborhood of the Walters's estates in Wales, have the family religion, bear the family Christian names, and possess traditional and heirloom, evidence. The South African family has already spent about £1000 in moving the Court of Chancery in its behalf. , The Court decided that there was a missing link in its claim of descent, and it can only act when every link is satisfac- ! torily proved. Some of the claimants j made a tour of the world to try to find "Richard John Walters," who was supposed to be the lost link, but they did not come to New Zealand. Naturally, many presumed that the j army pensioner of Point Chevalier' was this Important person, but it is j now supposed that the New Zealand | family of Walters numbers among its ] members the last element for legitimation of the claim.

A peculiar and distressing casfe of tiie sudden disappearance of a young lad has been brought under publio notice in Dunedin by Mrs T. Creighton, of Burnside Farm, Waitepeka, in the hopes that the publicity given to the matter may lead to the recovery of the missing; lad. Her son, John Leonard Creighton, who reached sixteen years of age on December 31st, left home to.go to the pioneers' picnic at Warepa, on January 15th, but has never returned home since. A week later, after many inquiries, his mother learned that he took the train to Dunedin and did not go to the picnic at all. She informed the Defence Department and the police, but so far no trace can be found of him. As he was very fond of the sea she lias. written to the secretary of the Marine Department, Wellington, and he has inquired from all ports in New Zealand, and has returned answer that no one of that name lias signed on in any port.

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