"COFFEE KING'S" WEALTH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17232, 11 April 1930, Page 10

"COFFEE KING'S" WEALTH

HEIRS TO MILLIONS NEW ZEALAND BENEFICIARY (Per Press Association.) BLENHEIM. Just night. | lu reference to a. telegram recently felling of tlie good fortune of Mr. Jack Watson, Springs'ton, Canterbury, who inherited £60,000 from a long-dead! American uncle, it may bo mentioned that Mr, Watson was formerly a resident of Blenheim, and ho was employed for a number of years in Wairau apple orchards. More 'recently he has been conducting a small itinerant drapery business in a Canterbury country dis, •, trict. His £60,000 is but' a small earnest of the enormous fortune of £19,000,000 which is about to deluge, his relatives with gold, and the story? reads like a romance.

Many years ago John Andrews left. Ireland as a young man, with the avowed object of making a fortune, and lie made it with a vengeance, for he became known as "the Copper King." He died 17 years' ago. leaving behind him between £15,000,000 and £19,000,-, 000. Ho was unmarried, and "had no 1 apparent relatives, so the American Government took possession of the

money in trust. Three" years ago a claim made by a nephew in Glasgow was recognised by the Ameridan Government, which undertook to pay over the money;in yearly instalments, -3Jhp Glasgow claimant's family tree .showed that John Andrews had cne'd leaving 17 nephews and'nieces, among, 'whom money was'being divided equally: :@ub of the nephews was Mr. Watson's father, but he. Jias' died, leaving , liis share, about £1,000,000 or .more, to-h'fs widow, Mr. J. Watson's'mother.' On% of Mr. Watson, sonr.'s sister, and ,the aunt of Air. Jack \Va(,son, also idT<|d leaving no will, so that half her million goes to her sister, and the other halfmillion is beinjy divided among her.next of kin, Mr. Watson and his brothers and' sisters, in the ratio of £60,000 each. . ', ' ,'" '. ' w : ~'; .'"Mr. Jack Watson's' father; ;! a cousin Of the late Mr. W. H. ''AtkffisoW, of Hillersden, who died suddenly in church May last. Whether Mr. Atkinson's''family" will secure any share of "the wealth whieb is floating about is hot "clear, thorjgh there seems every possibility that they will have a claim. The family are Messrs. Atkinson Bros., of Wairau Valley, Mrs. Buschl, of Spririglands, and Mrs. I. W.. Barton, of Leefield.