Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-06-15
THE LUCKY GROCER.
The Remarkable Story of How He was
Paid One Million Dollars for His
Claim to Property in New York.

indianapolis is steadily keeping
pace with her sister cities in the
matter of first sensations. The
last we have to chronicle is one in
reference to settlement of some
New York property, by which Mr..
H. W. Caldwell, a well-known gro
Ger OF this city, becomes possessed
of cool million. The following is
a brief history of the case.
For the past thirty or forty years
the relatives of Mr.. Caldwell have
been identified with the movement
of the Anneke Jams heirs to obtain
possession OF the Trinity Church
property. They based their expec-
tations upon the fact that one or
two Annekes are in the family, and
some deeds, leases and other papers
that have been handed down
through the family. Finally they
all became disguised and gave up
the claim, refusing to have anything
further to do with the matter. These
papers came into the possession of
Mr.. Caldwell, and when he received
a letter from an uncle in the South.
saying that representative of the
Anneke Jams heirs had called upon
him for information which he was
supposed to possess in reference to
the claim, he turned his whole at
tention to the matter of looking up
the record. He finally became con
vinced that the papers he held were
of the greatest value to Trinity
Church corporation,and accordingly
about five years since he made q
proposition to the trustees to sell
them for 100000, which was re-
fused.
Mr.. Caldwell then made another
examination, and discovered that
the papers held referred to eight
acres of land Immediately adjoining
the Trinity Church property, front
ing on Fulton street and Broadway.
Further examination showed that,
in the year 1173, John Cosine, his
great grandfather, leased the proper
ty for 80 years previous to re-
moving to Pennsylvania. In leases
of this kind seldom is anything
heard of the property again by the
heirs of the original owner, but in
this instance Mr.. Caldwell clearly
and fully established the record to
the property, the lease on which ex-
pired in 1868. He made another
proposition,thi time to the persons
occupying the eight acres, offering
to sell his individual interest and
the papers in his possession for ST.
100000. After examing Mr.. Cald-
wells papers and the records, the
gentlemen, through their agent,
agreed to the terms, ,and on last Fri
day Mr.. Caldwell left for New York
to close up the transfer. In few
days he returned home, having in
his possession the authority of the
occupants to draw on them for ST.
100000.
Mr.. Caldwell says that after ar
ranging his business matters in this
city, he will spend the remainder of
his days in Kentucky, which is the
native State of himself and wife.
He takes his good fortune very con-
slderately, but says he is on the hunt
for moro. While in New York bo
learned of two hundred acres in
Harlem that was in the possession
of John Cosine at the time of the
eight acres referred to above, and he
is satisfied that he can work out full
and satisfactory claim to a posses
sion of that property. If he does,
and he speaks as though he believes
it, Cornelius Vanderbilt will have
to pay him the balance of the pur-
chase money on his famous Harlem
freight depot site.