Tumblety's Estate was Worth...

[mklhawley]

Hi all,

According to the St. Louis Republic, Jan 23, 1904, Tumblety left an estate of $140,000, “consisting mostly of cash deposited in a bank in New York”. Using an inflation calculator to 2015 (Ave US inflation rate was 2.96% per year), its ‘real price’ is $3,584,000.


Sincerely,

Mike

[Mayerling]

Hi all,

According to the St. Louis Republic, Jan 23, 1904, Tumblety left an estate of $140,000, “consisting mostly of cash deposited in a bank in New York”. Using an inflation calculator to 2015 (Ave US inflation rate was 2.96% per year), its ‘real price’ is $3,584,000.


Sincerely,

Mike

Hi Mike,

All (or most) from quack medicines and snake oil. As Fred Allan said, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public".

[mklhawley]

Hi Jeff,

And he started raking in the dough around 1855 near the age of 22! His eccentricity worked.

Mike

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi all,

According to the St. Louis Republic, Jan 23, 1904, Tumblety left an estate of $140,000, “consisting mostly of cash deposited in a bank in New York”. Using an inflation calculator to 2015 (Ave US inflation rate was 2.96% per year), its ‘real price’ is $3,584,000.


Sincerely,

Mike

Hello Mike

The figure that I have is $138,000 deposited in the New York banking house of Henry Clews & Company, as cited in the New York Times of June 28, 1903 (see below), a month after Tumblety's death -- although of course the St. Louis Republic six months later, January 23, 1904, might have known better.

It is significant that people who knew Dr. T in Baltimore in 1900 (where he is listed as living in a lodging house on N. Liberty Street, corner of Clay Street, in the U.S. Census) as well as in St. Louis believed him to have been a pauper. There's no doubt the revelation that he left a fortune was an eye-opener for many.

Best regards

Chris



"Friendly Money Fight" reported in New York Times, June 26, 1903.

[mklhawley]

Hi Chris,

Excellent. They both might still be true, since the $140,000 refers to the value of the estate which "consisted mostly of cash deposit".

Sincerely,

Mike

[ChrisGeorge]

Thanks, Mike. Indeed, as you and Timothy Reardon have demonstrated, Dr. Francis Tumblety was an exceedingly curious individual -- whether or not he was Jack the Ripper!

Cheers!

Chris



Tumblety will fight in St. Louis Dispatch, June 28, 1903[/url]

[Robert]

This is from Joe Chetcuti:








Los Angeles Times

June 26, 1903

Front Page







NEW YORK, June 25 - ...Dr. Tumblety had kept a running account with Henry Clews & Co. bankers of this city, for twenty years, and at the time of his death, last month, he had on deposit $138,000 in cash, a considerable part of which had been made in the stock market.




***********************************



Joe remarked, "After January 1876, Tumblety didn't earn much money with his medical practice. But he had a good Wall Street investment banker in Henry Clews who kept him in great financial shape. Tumblety owned railroad bonds as well as being involved in the stock market. Although by 1903, he probably converted most of it into cash."

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

What's the point of dying owning thousands of dollars?

Surely the trick is to die owing thousands of dollars.

Regards,

Simon

[Robert]

Well I suppose the trick is to know when you'll die.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Robert,

Yes, timing is everything.

Regards,

Simon

[Mayerling]

Have any of Doc. T's relatives in California, Rochester, or Liverpool ever been traced, and possibly contacted?

Jeff

[GUT]

Have any of Doc. T's relatives in California, Rochester, or Liverpool ever been traced, and possibly contacted?

Jeff

Anyone know if he had family in Australia.

[mklhawley]

HI Jeff,

I have attempted with the Rochester relatives. Apparently, it's a Dr. Mudd thing, but I'm still trying. I haven't heard of anything down under GUT.

Sincerely,

Mike

[GUT]

HI Jeff,

I have attempted with the Rochester relatives. Apparently, it's a Dr. Mudd thing, but I'm still trying. I haven't heard of anything down under GUT.

Sincerely,

Mike

Thanks Mike just saw the name pop up a couple of times, Tasmania I think, I'll have a longer look when I get some time.

[Mayerling]

HI Jeff,

I have attempted with the Rochester relatives. Apparently, it's a Dr. Mudd thing, but I'm still trying. I haven't heard of anything down under GUT.

Sincerely,

Mike

Actually I believe Dr. Mudd's family (which includes the former newscaster Roger Mudd) has been actively supportive of the Doctor's claim that he was innocent in the Lincoln Assassination. Regretfully (however) evidence has been shown to show Mudd did know Booth and was involved with the latter's earlier kidnapping scheme.

Years ago I wrote to the author of a book on Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, and I asked the author if Cream had any relatives still living (around 1990). I was told there were some in Toronto, but that they were ... well not really happy about the family connection (and who would be in Cream's case?)

I was also once aware that the family of Percy Lefroy Mapleton's father was alive and active, but they openly considered him the "black sheep of the family". Again, it was understandable, but the same people had put out a genealogical book (a copy is at the 42nd Street Library in Manhattan) in which they were really boasting of their other famous relative, Governor Edward John Eyre, the Australian explorer ("Lake Eyre" and other spots in the deserts of Southern Australia). They did not seem to note that Eyre is best remembered (or worst remembered) for his actions in putting down a series of riots in Jamaica (when he was acting Governor there in 1865) that resulted in many executions, including that of one George Gordon, a native member of the Jamaica Assembly. This led to several attempts in 1867 and 1868 to bring Governor Eyre to trial for murder - attempts that had the support of John Stuart Mill, while an Eyre defense team led by Charles Dickens and Thomas Carlyle tried to derail the attempts. These attempts were defeated, but Eyre's reputation was ruined. Eyre did not end up dangling from a scaffold like Percy did, but if you visit Jamaica and see the legislative building, it's name is in honor of George Gordon. Tells you something there about how the locals feel about the Eyre Affair.

Jeff