JOHN FOLEY'S FORTUNE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 48, 28 March 1884, Page 5

JOHN FOLEY'S FORTUNE.

A remarkable case, the full history of which will probably never be known, was finally adjudicated last week, in the Orphans' Court at Philadelphia , Pa. Thirty years ago an Irishman made hia appearance in Pittsburg under the name of John Foley. He was a pack peddler, and made his home with a family named Cabbage, living at Mansfield. He was thrifty and industrious, and it was known that ho had amassed considerable wealth. For a year or more before his death, age prevented him from travelling over his route. He died about a year ago at the age o£ eighty years, When his estate was brought into court it was found to be worth ab. • * 23,000d015. His will developed another fact— namely, that his rigb aine was John Johnston. He came to Pittsburg from County Kildare, Ireland. He lett his property, after making a few minor bequests, to his four cmldren, wherever they could be found. The search for the heirs wai for a long time unavailing, but it finally resulted in the discovery of some of them, and also of another outline of Johnston's history. He left Ireland at the age of fifty, suddenly, and evidently for some good reason. His children he left there. When they grew older three of them left Ireland to search for their father. One went to at. Louis, and two to Connecticut, while one remained in Ireland. Jonnstone seems to have kept trace of them, for he locates them in this way m his will. The detectives engaged to find the heirs learned ttiat those named m the will were dead, but found their children, une grandchild remained a long time undiscovered. An officer spent several months searching through the Northwestern State?, and at last found her. The heirs are few, and the decree of distribution made by Judge Hawkings awards to them nearly 12,00d01e. each. Why Johnston left Ireland, where he amassed his wealth, and the other facts of his life were only known to Gilbert L. B. Fatterman, Esq., and he died a few months after Johnston.