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Show IFM1 -MMW ESTATE ; SHPJEiri; MYSTERY CHICAGO, Oct. 17. A missing Daby heir connected with many of the proudest proud-est families of the South, among them that of former Gov. David E. Francis of Missouri, and the Clays of Kentucky, Ken-tucky, who is supposed to have been spirited away a few hours after its birth and to ,be now in Chicago, ignorant igno-rant of its parentage, is the central figure in a search which has as its end the disposition of a large Kentucky estate es-tate and the victory of one 8outhem family over another in a bitter feud, says the Chronicle today. All Chicago Scoured. .. . During the last few weeks all Chi- cago has been scoured in an effort to find a daughter of Mrs. Estelle Che-nault Che-nault Clay, who died at the postgraduate postgradu-ate hospital, June 22, 1899, under an assumed name. No trace of the child or accurate proof of its birth has been found, but the mother -of Mrs. Clay, Mrsl Lavania Estill Chenault' Cunningham Cun-ningham of Escondida. Ky., an aunt of former Gov. Francis, has charged that Mrs. Mary Peck Theill, a west side club woman and charitable worker, has knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing child and is secreting it. The emphatic denial of this by Mrs. Theill has but deepened the mysterious circumstances cir-cumstances of the case. . , Inheritance Involved. Should Mrs. Cunningham be successful success-ful in her search and discover the missing miss-ing mud and establish the authenticity authentici-ty of a will made by Mrs. Cla" a few days before her death, leaving her property to her children, the bulk of the large estate, which is situated in Bourbon county, Ky., willgo to the child instead of the father, a relative of the late Cassius M. Clay, who was being sued for divorce at the time of the death of Mrs. Clay, who bid in Chicago under an assumed name to escape es-cape his anger. Otherwise Clay will receive the estate and the custody of the one child now in Kentucky. , Haste Is Urged. . The fact that the Kentucky courts will give a decision in the case in a few days has caused Mrs. Cunningham to urge those looking, for the missing child to greater efforts. Yesterday a letter filled with prayers for haste was received The answer sent back last night gave no additional light on the mysterv. but the search was, taken up again with renewed re-newed energy.' Several important clues have been obtained which it is thought will lead to the. finding of the child within a -few days or the -proof that no such child exists. |