Beyond the Green

44

Studying his face, I finally nodded, bracing my hand on the desk for support as I started to sign my name where Nolan indicated. Taking that as his cue, Hedwood began to talk in a clipped, urgent tone. I could tell he was upset.

"The awful truth is your uncle conned your father out of his entire fortune. The timing was actually quite brilliant," at a dark look from Nolan he quickly continued. "There was a large amount of people investing money in the new market of communications, the telephone. Since the venture was only to gain capitol with the promise of a return, it was easy to lie to your father and tell him the venture failed, especially when the first few attempts did fail miserably. It also helped that you lived in Virginia, and the company was in Maryland.

"The truth is Conroy Snider never invested your father's fortune with the telephone venture. Mister Snider was in very steep debt to gambling houses and creditors all over the state at the time. He needed cash desperately to stay out of jail or avoid indentured servitude. With the ravages of war and his gambling, his fortune was all but gone. Then he saw this opportunity to care for his troubles without having to borrow with the promise of remuneration.

"Snider brought the offer of investment to your father, and from what I hear, persuaded him to invest his considerable wealth. Patrick Connolly was a generous, forward-thinking man, as I understand it, and this venture would have been right up his alley of interests.

"Intrigued your father indeed decided to support the investment, having no idea that your Uncle Snider had virtually no money at all. The entire sum of your father's fortune was taken, not a wise choice on your father's part," at my angry glare he hurried on. "He trusted your uncle. Mister Snider took the money and placed it in an account opened by your uncle's daughter.

"Anne Blakely is married to a wealthy banker, so no eyebrows were raised with this sudden flush of cash in their account. The price for her part in it all was a healthy five percent. The only thing Mister Snider did not anticipate was the loss of health on the part of your father.

"By all accounts the two were very close, and he stood by your mother and father when the rest of the family disowned them. That being said, his lust for money outweighed less profitable entanglements. When your father died, you were sent away, homeless, and destitute. The draft notes given to the late Mister Hoskins were actually Mister Snider's, forged with your father's name.

"If not for the good fortune of the late Mister Hoskins upon finding the address for the late Missus Beatrice Shelby, you would have very probably wound up in the poorhouse, or worse. The untimely passing of your father's lawyer made it all the easier for your uncle to carry out the last part of his deception.

"Everyone knew that you were sent out west, so what could be easier than to say then you did not survive the crossing? That left Snider the only legal heir to the vast Connolly fortune. The only problem left was fairly small; you were not actually dead, though only he knew it. That's when Mister Snider realized he would need a durable power of attorney form, with your signature on it.

"So that's when he tried to convince you that there would be a small amount of money left over for you. Having you sign those papers would have given him every legal right to your inheritance. Once you signed away authorization to the funds, he could legally cut you out of the picture.

"He settled with his creditors on promised of interest and was anticipating have the rest of your father's fortune to himself. Incidentally, Patrick Connolly died owing virtually nothing to anyone, it seems he lived quite frugally after his investment with your uncle." Mister Hegwood stopped to take off his spectacles and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief. Taking a deep breath, he looked in my eyes before he continued.