Decatur County Journal Leon, Decatur County, Iowa May 13, 1909 JOHN D. HALE, father of JACOB HALE, and now an inmate of the county farm, is one of the heirs to an estate of $l9,000, located near Decatur, Illinois. Stephen Varga, of this city, who was recently appointed as guardian for MR. HALE, has received information concerning the matter in the past few days. It is a strange and unusual story and the locating of the heirs is due to GEORGE S. CONNARD, who is administrator of the estate. SARAH M. HIGGS died near Decatur, Illinois, on December 4th, the last of her family supposedly. She resided on a farm of l28 acres. One hundred acres of the land is valued at $l60 an acre and the remainder will bring $80 an acre. This, with some personal property, makes an estate of about $l9,000. She was about sixty-two years of age at the time of her death. Her parents had died years before, her brothers and sisters were all gone and none of them had left any children, and a question arose as what was to be done with the estate. GEORGE S. CONNARD was appointed administrator of the estate. He took the matter to the firm of Whitely & Fitzgerald, in Decatur, and Mr. Whitely began the search for the heirs. He has discovered fourteen, of which JOHN D. HALE, of this county, is one. Mr. Whitely, the attorney, began a search among the old neighbors and finally got information enough to warrant him in writing to addresses secured, for additional information, and then after much correspondence covering the period from last December up to the present time, he has located twenty-eight living relatives of SARAH HIGGS, fourteen of whom, under the law, will share in the property. The fourteen are: JOHN D. HALE, Leon, Iowa; ELIZABETH A. EVENS, Benedict, Kansas; SARAH C. MATTIX, Benedict, Kansas; LUCINDA RYAN, Sapulpa, Oklahoma; REBECCA CAPPS, Shelvina, Kansas; NANCY F. ISENBERG, Altoona, Kansas; ELIZABETH J. CONNARD, Macon County, Illinois; MARTHA A. WITHGOTT, Macot County, Illinois; SARAH SAPP, LILLIE BOWDEN and DAVID ROZZELL, addresses not given; GEORGE BARNETT, Santa Anna, California; JESSE BARNETT, Santa Anna, California, and E.F. BARNETT, Waukonis, Oklahoma. All of the above are collateral heirs, the fourth degree removed, of SARAH HIGGS. If there was even one heir of the third degree of removal he or she would inherit all of the estate. SARAH HIGGS and all of the family before her were eccentric. Her father, old neighbors of his say, would not have anything to do with banks. If money was due him he would accept payment in gold only. It is supposed that he buried the gold somewhere upon the place, and if the supposed treasure should be discovered, MR. HALE, with the other heirs, may share in a much greater amount of property than is now visible. After the death of SARAH HIGGS, the administrator found $700 in gold in the house, wrapped in bits of paper and old rags. Mr. Varga is now looking after the interests of MR. HALE in the estate. Copied by Nancee (McMurtrey) Seifert

Decatur County Journal Leon, Decatur County, Iowa Thursday, May 20, 1909 GEORGE FARQUHAR, who recently bought of J.F. PENNIWELL the lot upon which the C.E. HENDERSON Barber Shop stands, has decided to erect a modern brick building thereon at once. The work of tearing away the old frame building will begin at once and the excavating will begin as soon as the building is removed. The new structure will be one story and basement and will be 16x72 feet in size. It will be built of brick and modernly constructed throughout. A furnace will be installed in the basement to heat the structure. MR. FARQUHAR has leased the building to OREL ESTES, of Decatur, who will operate a first-class restaurant therein. MR. ESTES also operates several other restaurants in the county and is an experienced restaurant man. The new building will be fitted up especially for MR. ESTES and will be well adapted for the purpose for which it will be used. MR. HENDERSON has bought of MR. PENNIWELL the lot just south of that owned by MR. FARQUHAR and will move into the building on the site as soon as R.I. BENEFIEL, who conducts a news stand therein, finds another location. Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert

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