ROMANCE OF A FORTUNE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3434, 27 January 1912, Page 9

ROMANCE OF A FORTUNE.

INTERESTING AMERICAN SYSTEM THE DETECTIVE IN AUCKLAND. A story told to a “Star” reporter by Inspector-Detective Lea Bleakmore, of the United States Administration Department, shortly before the departure, of the Mariana, by which vessel he is travelling to Vancouver, endorses the contention that truth can be just as strange' as fiction. It concerns the quest that took him to Sydney and constitutes an interesting record in regard to international detective achievements'. Inspector Bleakmore readied Sydney by the Aorangi from San Francisco a week ago last Tuesday, and within a couple of days he had located the relatives of an old miser named Stephen Cunningham, whom death disconnected from a hoard of about £30,000 in December last. The narrative of the detective hunt, as told to Sydney reporters bofore the Inspector’s depature, showed how the first clue was'nothing more substantial than a few pieces of square chalk, which kindled the belief that the old man had once been a tailor, also how the discovery of a similar name was made. in ah ancient register of tailors as having worked in Newcastle, New South Wales very many years ago. Some additional facts which have not so far been made public were told to tiie Auckland reporter. Detective Bleakmore returns to the States the richer by about SOOOdol, which sum represents the 20 per cent reward which the Government pays for such discoveries. When an unknown person dies in America, all inquiries are left to what is known as the Administrator’s Department, and all possessions which come to light are kept for a period of five years unless the identity of relatives' is satisfactorily established. If at the end of that time lio claimants have appeared the assets of the estate are used for educational purposes and public benefaction. Detective Bleakmore was in Australia less than a week, “lily work opened up before me like a flower,” he remarked. “When I went out in an ''automobile to the country homes of the two elderly brothers and the two sisters of the deceased they ridiculed the idea that my mission could be serious. They knew all about these Yankee wavs, they said. However, I soon convinced them and their heads—those of their families, at least, were nearly turned with excitement. Some of tlfe young ones have made up their minds that "they can find uses for the money. Each one of the families were living in poor circumstances, most of them carrying on farming a few miles out from Newcastle.” Another point not mentioned before was that this old miser made his pile out of mining speculations while working as a tailor in the mining centres of New South Wales. Before leaving Australia some of bis acquaintances remarked upon the likelihood of a reunion with his relatives, and of a transference ol a portion of his riches in that direction. No fear of that, he said, lie never wanted to see any of bis relatives again. He never did, and what is more, none, of them ever received a letter from him. The- mill.stone of,wealth bore very heavily on this super-selfish specimen of humanity.