[PW] FW: Grace Singer

[Hatch, Patricia]

Re-reading my own message, I cannot assert that my number 1 below,
"there was a message in a bottle" is true.  A gentleman named Jack Wurm
contacted the lawyers claiming he had found the message, but provided a
hand-written copy only, and the lawyers were seeking a photocopy of the
original.  So, using Brian's points below, this story may in fact be all
three things (urban legend, practical joke, scam)

Sorry to clutter up the list,

Patty Hatch
Harvard University-CWD/FSS
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 496-3242
Email: patricia_hatch at harvard.edu
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
[mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On Behalf Of
Hatch, Patricia
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 10:15 AM
To: list at project-wombat.org
Subject: Re: [PW] Grace Singer

Well, there are some truths to the story:

1. There was a message in a bottle
2. There was a gentleman named Jack Wurm that found the message in the
bottle, and the message did read that whomever found the bottle would
inherit half of her fortune, and the other half went to her attorney

Someone earlier cited the New York Times article written in 1955 about
this.

In an article from the Los Angeles Times dated July 26, 1949, the story
goes like this:

--Lawyers Ronald and Barry Cohen were looking for Mrs. Alexander's will.
Barry Cohen is the attorney mentioned by name in the message in the
bottle.  The attorneys were based in London.
--The article indicates that Ronald Cohen told a reporter that Jack J.
Wurm of Palo Alto, CA, had written the firm about the message he found
in the bottle, on a San Francisco beach. Wurm sent the firm a
hand-written copy.  The date on the hand-written copy sent to the Cohen
firm was January 20, 1937.  Mrs. Alexander died on Sept. 19, 1939.
--The message did not indicate where it was written and the signature
was not witnessed.  Cohen was seeking a photocopy of the "alleged will."
--The article also says "He (Cohen) said two friends of Mrs. Alexander
and her butler had told him she had talked of throwing bottled notes
into the ocean to see where they would turn up."
--Ronald Cohen claimed he had drawn up several wills and codicils for
Mrs. Alexander, but after her passing, none could be found except one
that was dated in 1909.  This will had a page torn out of it.  A nephew
and niece of Mrs. Alexander was drawing income from that will.

A later LA times article, dated April 7, 1957, reiterates the finding of
the message by Wurm, but does not mention the lawyers, and claims that
the case was still "in litigation."

So it would be interesting to know if in fact a case was ever brought
about this, and if the case was brought by Wurm, the Cohens, or both, or
if the fact that there was a will executed in 1909 was the final say on
this.  Since the Cohens were London lawyers, I'm wondering if the case
(if any) was being litigated in England.



Patty Hatch
Harvard University-CWD/FSS
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: (617) 496-3242
Email: patricia_hatch at harvard.edu
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
[mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org] On Behalf Of
Brian Whatcott
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 9:01 PM
To: list at project-wombat.org; list at project-wombat.org
Subject: Re: [PW] Grace Singer


Ah: I see there is a difficulty in allocating this story to an
appropriate category:
1) Urban legend
2) Practical joke
3) Scam

I am pretty sure that there was no big payout from the Singer estate,
all the same!  :-)

Brian Whatcott

At 03:12 PM 7/17/2007, Doty, Fadia wrote:
>This article is found in
>http://www...............
>"Columnist L. M. Boyd recently described the amazing good fortune of a 
>man named Jack Wurm.



>-----Original Message-----
>From: burchell at telusplanet.net [mailto:burchell at telusplanet.net]
>Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2007 10:55 AM
>To: list at project-wombat.org
>Subject: [PW] Grace Singer
>
>
>Hi!
>Several years ago while on a long drive, I heard a story on the car 
>radio, purporting to be true, concerning Grace Singer, the heiress to 
>the Singer Sewing Machine Company fortune.


Brian Whatcott    Altus OK    Eureka! 


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