The Corvallis Times

WANT HIS MONEY.

And Writing Vigorously for It John Shallenberger and his Heirs.

A lot of people in the East are writing letters to County Clerk Moses now.

By some means a story has gained currency that one John Shallenberger recently died in Oregon, and that he left an estate of $52,000,000 with no heirs to claim it. Apparently, the tale has been published in many papers, for all the Shallenbergers in the region East of the Mississippi are anxious to get a chance to divide up the money. So far, Clerk Moses has received no less than seventy-five letters of inquiry, and the missives still come. No less than 15 states are represented on the list of enquirers, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and many other states.

The alleged $52,000,000, which is wholly a myth, has undoubtedly made the deceased John Shallenberger more than dear to a host of stricken kinsmen.

The letters are all of the same tenor. One says that the story of the man's death appeared in the Pittsburg papers, alleging that he left an estate of $52,000,000 with no heirs. The writer adds that there were Shallenbergers among the relatives on his mother's side away back, and desires full information on the subject. Another writer stated that his father had a brother named John Shallenberger, who left the East when a young man long ago, and that no tidings of him had ever come back. The writer apparently suspects the alleged dead millionaire to be the lost brother, and begged the county clerk to supply full information, for which proper remuneration will be made.

County Clerk Moses endeavors to make prompt and adequate reply to all these correspondents, as is proper, though the task is onerous. All he can say in reply is that no such person as John Shallenberger has died in Benton county, worth $52,000,000 or any other amount, and that no information can be furnished, touching the subject. It is a disappointing reply to be compelled to make to all these Shallenberger relatives, but it is all that can be sent. Incidentally, if the newspaper story about the death of the original John Shallenberger had merely stated that he had died penniless and been buried in a nameless grave no inquiry about him would ever have been received by County Clerk Moses and that tells the story of what $52,000,000 will do for a man, dead or alive.

It is apparent, from the letters that copies of each are sent to every county clerk in the state.