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SYiUUUSE BmMJD: WKUKJSSJLM;w \j)eath of John McLennan ) j- Recalls Remarkable Searchict In $4,000,000 Estate Case51uaeck How Edward H. O’Hara Crossed Continent inIIChasing1 Clues to Ascertain Whether Ad venturous Ansel White Was Dead or Livingionsanlt;■1 vBy Edward H. O'HaraPb I ith cr o/ 7 ft e I! € r□ hi is given orAy a few times even lit a Iocs UfcUroe lo enjoy close asso-,'n* over ,i period of wlt;*eks ox months with inyoim outside our family ft. ftiic* ab:d:-r friendship? rise from such rare experiences.Itui observed Jehu privilege to eiioyMcLer.ti-u: with him.as r lawyer, in bringing io beardim the training in careful Investigation which■oranA: close iiitui years. 34*:ist‘-work which tt was. my r.:\ hi n an our common nr..*» pan of newspaper work.He ivas a happy companion, untleriar.dln? the values hi life, consciences in the devotion of time and ialenis tc- the commission lti hand. The 'S.- to me I can ,wpic:s perhaps by saving that It is as is a cherished flsli-companion of years of ;v?ve stone, although this was our onesiting expedition. ^ ““ ~ ’• • r passing oi Mr. Mclennan re-n rrmaikablc icsal episode in3.2 ] iuHaSyri ::si‘I‘1.0-.*serve;; signer r.e «:!;.* 40 :’or Ansd WhilewereHU*lt;c,as 8 .tpftflal comm.h-ycaioj ago. the search or any descendants in connecHon with inheritance of tlie f-4.Ihj0.00? estate of D. t'dcar Crouse, c: .Syracuse.Edgar P. Glass appointed Mr. McLennan and the writer asam m’-AsI oiier^, to r-.scrrtain whether Ansel White, an uncle of Hr. ■ir acTiiSlIv dead lt;*f i.l-voR t-Wilson case here. I took tip this lead. Detective Leeds, famous T'rhco China-iown detective, discounted the story ot our informant, Jehu Taguc. but Mr. McLennan and I decided lo iol-low through on the lead.1: xes that Tagne, as a youth, 30 years before, drew a body from the bay wilh his lasso. The only itfeu-tilication was writing on an envelope iit the lt;-lo thing, giving thA nddresa uf An??'. White, fit. Louise House, San Francisco. We wont to Point Pnblo. Tne eosor.cr of 30 years ago. I found, remembered an inquest of aiisc!White, The name Ansel impressedk? b:’. Cour* ?: hideclared dead by process ofSea rolling (he.i -Vbl-V.edhiThe nnv. iiarf do- been In com-rathm with relatives for nearly hi ye.es. The trail led from the Id ! voucher home neighborhood of the family at fLitre-'.or? : = • men; .:\n by lb? lit1 neWit;riveu.esboro. t. Wli: : !-.= unear Utica. to the PaciElc e^boro. incidentally, dome from the family.lt;.»*■•« 'ip*-*;! /»county I'ormds Mr. McLennan found them complete ox-repl for 1B66. It wn.i explained -hat some records had been Tost in n fire, but Mr, McLennan finally found * for pay for « Juror at an nquest. for Ansel White.' We found ecollcctions of old timers that they plaiilvil him uji on Ihe P‘lui.“3* one of the fen hires of perhaps the *£rankest and most Involved r.moug will cases in the history of Onouda t-s CniuiLv, and one occasion-ifcnglitJ.ociby;m natlciil aiv:t internstIon3l note.un.in Its various phii.*es and In sequels..Mr Croiiie. presumptively a bachelor. of much wealth, died Nov. 21,, io?J. Hi.? will, drawn Oct. 2B. 1602, ?!ec“ ! ctLpoted of his fort-uuc! largely in a.L. was j residuary bequest piuvidlng that all j cxcepL The amounts of sp-clal be-: rjttesis. shoriel be divided, aniuiif liis j ne.M-of-k.hi, according to the est3ie i laws of the Stole of New YorS. Known | nrnr-nf-kin whm cousins.! Karfily hr-:l the will been read be-j fore rhere emerged the claim of Mrs. j Siegber:- Kosrerliiv. In behalf of her j uouijiu-er. Dorothea Edcarlta Crouse, i Judge Hiram a. Steele, of New A'ork,us t ice who ch infcraticc filers lirlca'.be; presentpri tliplr rUlm. with Williamon :areord-mcnt, nomi-v.sOCl'RtS0 the epub-manShaaltland Andrews, now reUred Judge of the Court of Appeals, as Syracuse representative.Mrs. Kosterliiz wos c native of /ianeo-vihe. U. Harpnalden name was Mlson. 3he* had obteined oay-Chlef Crowley assured 112 that our 5 f-a veil was done, out strangely enough wilh in a day arrived an unmistakably genuine new lead which we followed to the State or Washington, There we came to the end oi ouv traii. After leaving tli? St. Lout? House, San Francisco, An?d White had gone on a gold rush Into the Hogue River district in Oregon, next prospecting in Lhe Boise City p.re3 and filially going over-anil with a wagon outfit and a partner named Joyce to Washington.There he lived In pioneer style nenrNe?,* Diinjpniw for jiearly r quarter \ cialS W.1 cries tng t Buret3.2 p 11-a7 wit Nr here opn. k w have that ncccshead catlo of tt and i hen tioivs This such Ing ; in tl: W;i; ilc 11In nr, rare Appr llOT In at fi prod3.2 bAlba thesw prcd old ; any 1 thesi.octain forcf to i here. Ttof a century, until about io months before the death o' D. ‘Edgar Crouse! He was found hy an Indian, dead in fcU cabin. Had ho outlived his nephew he would have inherited ?2,noo.noo nr more, and there might oven hare been, no compromise o: the Dorothea Ergarlta Crouse claim. 2rc; Harte wrote stories which men lived; we lived In their footprints.The Telpehonc Building at State and Fayette Streets .stands where the Crouse home stood. The celebrated Crouse stables just at the r?nr in State Street, parL of “Elt;i Crwu^e'ece » G:ace Y,' iner-t of S4O.U0U frum ihe csrate lt;,f ! gesturos Jn espresslng his woman-hat-llj prntp.st agiiin?t hi» father’s glfv otentionuctaiss11!. j;ip'man ■Syvn-fclvin. loiiiuy led It!r\v5i eg here Kostcrlitz In Germany, on claim of a child. Crouse College to Syracuse University,T«, t-iAi mVi'i*™*'*To^nl mpi'fmv’Hri'T I will be dismantled poon Ohlv and oc-in connection with the settlement of rasiuiu* retail memnrt^ 01 chauguigscenes and new players 011 thy stage, but we salute old comrades In paas-the CrousR estate, she waa never called upon in court to prove hercries duct it fo in. es Mi Reveto 54 upsi wen! Of E dcip: h e: mad-lateiun rStP.t?tlvelstanerlesrtP-in-irriaae to d. udear Crou?e. A-uig.I J*■ -ifj.4;or.'^bkv ••si:.*-here* where hoili strips s;uod to gain1 cr lc^c everything if The marrnlge . was proved or disproved.lt; Cojuuioxiii^e ouiieil iiie cate nlier = delays wearing out the patience of i ;ome of tlac Crouse coiisina who were •■ growing old and wanted to enjoy: : -Dme of tlji'ir furiune before it was : ! too l.ttc. Ih the settlement about j : 1 SOO.finn w?.« set aside in favor of : : i':ic d«ughter, and ihe mother ob-i Tair.ed $400,000. retiring with it to; Europe, bcroming the wife of Raroci ! PuuUska, wilh a. castle on the Rhine, j In the course or 1; all perhaps no developmeuL contairiplt;S more Interest than ihe hunt for Ansel White.The injection of the very name into the cr.se ras like a bombshell. Noone sinri con=Inn red the possibility j o? 5i:cli kin alive. An uaicls woutd■ lax-,’ nrs‘Cib?nc5 over cousins in claim f io t!:e e»:ats. Surrosnte Glass toldti.CC is . Mel-iS f.p-Oituce; ru: asw?.:lIt?nt;a11 irralliiiht:McLennan Death Ends Long IllnessVeteran Attorney Dies at Home of Niece, Mrs. Stewart F. Hancock1 day for mi* Uiic on The cstli Ofi”Tl beer oliic he ] Uoi) befo pl’DCiur-r.oxvestureerpecz.Vfathfr 5 A.M.Oar□iearpt.crdjrCtinrClearCIs-jjfy C ?. t P-.Cl fly Clear cr?.irCloudy?t Ci’drC-rr.rC5 rC;e:-rClearr.irLJojtiyS?t:o,vCle.irvLo a! my of counsel In ihe ca?c that i: is cuiHclgncc ivor.Id never be easy it he p-rcccT’fien 10 nny witsicur. final dctcimir-./.tion of the life or cUlt;s:h of Ansel White.His commissioners were Inxtr.trred to cstsbii^h by legnl proof Jf possible whether the man was alive or dead. We were authorized to advertise in nil p?.wr5 printed In English in Lht* 3tate of Calofrjila, for example.• -J. Plerreponc tVlilte. utica nttor-ncy. had just returned disappointed rtf-*:- ?. search such r.« we were un-tJohh McLennan. 77, many years in practice as an. attorney in Syracuse, member of a family of distinction aT the b?a- of The Fifth judicial District, and formerly active In political aJiAir* Of “hc.clty and fitato. died “his morning ac the home of Stewsrl F. Han- , cock, in the Syracuse rosd, west of i Cazcnovia.Mr. McLennan had been in over r. pcric-d of years and retired from activity ir, his profession more than 10 years ago. He was an uncle o[ Airs. Hancock and received final care fn her home where he died.C.sJ31r-ewetillsICluitfcreSttheivasleftIn the course of lillt;j career he served I Shejue:.1:s-Hu ivac a relative of An-ar.dI started Pt ng lescal rcc-legalsuchss’I A. V. . asst, ID.to:fri While.Mr. McLpnnRnWbkeeboro. he :ords nnci t mnoucting such field work as complete canvass of tiie ■»V!]il^ family tornb$tones In thfc area. A:. C .42* no via we obtained a letter with i\n fJUibeuTtcati'd ^h?nfinre r-f Ansel White.r* j; hnp.vrTant ikmumeJl. written fiom fit. Louis. Me., in J31G.Tbr-1 :i r -i 1 -.f r ^L'i.'nily 3:b!eh reprtlrg Ansel White,burn nilwere rhc imindatlun data Of our qllfnt.The troll of romance from tha pasi led Weal from Whiter boro In the jn:r|-forl!es of the las’, century. Eiop-inc by canal boat txo couple from Whu-sboro incJudrd Ansel White rs nr of t.'-f? pruielp3|5.Following ’ to Buffalo. • thence hy Great i-akes boats \lt;\ Illinoisas Onondaga Re publican county committee chairman and os SyracuEerepresentpLlvK of the State comptroller* He a!?n served in elective office here. In the par:;,’ n’.lgnmenl; he was a power !n the EcU'iph faction. The laic Judge Peter 3. McLennan was hL? bs'oi her. and they were of a family of six children, o? whom only one now is left.Mr. McLennan was born nt Lyndon, Cattaraugus County. :n 185.1 ne wrs r Mm of the ten* Coi:u ?nd Ann Tntsfr Mclennr.n. He was grnchi.xtcd Irom Alfred Unherxiiv -viLli the class.-.' •o*v'» . •.........t .....WdifccaidVf.troldkcsnlrfftrapE.1105]leresflliution and lor two years ns suprr-vj?or of the agiicnll.arMl department.^Ir. McLennan was admitted to the bar alter coming to Syracuse to study ]aw. ji? ws? firsi associated with the fxrm of McLennan Waters R«id iater with the finn of McLennan, Waters .t Baldwin. He was active Ir. affairs of the ncpublic?.n party and 9 I served a5 alderman o: his ward.r. 7: yJCfi;!n‘ jFf-found * ti opn I,: it point of ,hC «wo! Jfc »« timber in-10 • couples at Pccria, Ac Mdc-scareh ‘ proved msrrlage of Ansel White's p.trLner to a Canadian clergyman.teiffStR north of Quchpc and real estate hnlritnc? in Mclbunie, Fla, He lived In Florida three years. At, one lime Mr. McLennan served as attor-I:InrNatliavbanperA
Newspaper Details
Syracuse Herald
Syracuse, New York, US
Wed, Mar 29, 1933
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Onondaga C.
NY, USA 07 May 2021
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