, 1873-02-11
THE LAW COURTS,
A Singular Lnnd Contest in tho
United Statos Court,
Petition to Adjuditato tho arcat Western
Telegraph Company Bankrupt.

lCieefall company II ballkrlIpt.
Reports from all the Courts---
New Suits.
a bin Of a aomowhnt unusual nature WAS
yesterday filed III tho United stotos Circuit
Court. Samuel Kali, Of Altona, Knox County,
1lla tho complainant, asserts TINT he fully
believes hinlsolf to 10 tho ownor Of tho south
1lalf OF Section 24, Township 10, north OF Range
0, cast. That ho purchased tho Bamo Of John
Lafforty md William D. Howtailing, paying tho
full value iii cash, namely, 900, with belief
that ho was obtaining q perfect tltlo, md, in
that boliof, a1so,' ho made improvements to tho
oxtent Of $4,000, taking possession by his ton
ants and agonts III or about 1850. lie ro-
ccivoa two docds, tho first being insui1lciently
stamped; both Of which AFRO lost, tho one by tho
groat 0rtober llro, aad tho other by juryman
IN case connected with the property in Knox
County. Certified copies Of tho deeds, howoycr,
can be obtained. 4 finding and judgment l,ayo
boon ronderod against plaintiT III two actionB
aud o}ectnont in tho United Statos Circuit Court
for tho Northern Dintrick Of Il1inoin, at tho suit
OF Dewitt c. Douglaa, Tho records Of tho
United States of tho military land in Knox
County showed tho title Of tho land in Latforty
mud 1lowtailing, or QUO or both of them. Lnf-
ferty 1T doad, and Howtalling in parts unknown.
Al parties III this controversy admit that stophon
Reed, D Rollior wns tho original ratoutce, by
patent dated February, 1918. Ncod conveyed tho
land by warranty docd to EpIlraim Dewitt,
Of Albany, N: y, ,vh9 dlod before making any
OF attorney to John B. Strong to soil tho land
and legally convoy It,. such powor botng datod
1866, aud mover revoked. It WIS Strong vino
Laffofty, BY warranty loed, conveyed Ii to Ills
complainant in 1866 for 81 ,a09. Ifowtafling waa
connected with Larerty. and was alleged to hnvo
nn interest IN tho land, which complainant &C.
$4,000, the parties affirming that they could givo
him good titla, Howtailing'a claim being also
derived from tho soldier Rood; who had giron a
quit claim dcod to NoyoB Minor, who mado
4 aconvoyance in 1910 to Low Doobo, and Boobo
died in 1888, in Lucas County, Ohio, whoso heirs
maao good deed to uowtaiIing. After COM
plainant'a purchase Of tho property various par
TICS disputed his PoaeoBaion of it, with SONG OF
whom ho 4tigatod. Finally, Dewitt Douglass
this complainant carried it to tho Supreme
Court, but tho papers therein wcre burned III
the great fire, and no now prays tho Court to got
inside tho formor Judgments to grant now trial,
has an important bearing on tho caso Tile prop
erty is worth 81 900 por annum.
GREAT WESTERN TELEGRAPH COMPANY.
John Clark Hilton, ut lato hour yesterday
obtained . rule on tho Great WostorR Telegraph
Company to show oauao why it should not be ad-
judicated q bankrupt. Tho roadors are familiar
with tlo recent embar1assmonts Of tho Company,
tlat LED to decroo being entered in the Cir
with tue view Of placing the property Of tho
Company III tho hands OF tho stockholders,
tor the selection Of now Directors and
ofllcera; y, tho various judgments entored
us reported from timo to timo in tho law col,
nmn and it's money difllcultica. arising from
tho abstracts intorposod by these legal proceod-
ingH, which havo naturally lcd up to this po-
Tho petitioner applies rs creditor on an unpaid
note Of SO, ,663.lG and alleges as acts of bank
rnptoy tho fact that tho Company haB allowed
Judgments to bo entoroa against it in tho Cir
eaS that by sor1n in asa and dongs
tfon Of the Circuit Court by docroo was pro-
cured, the partial result Of which WIGS Tho defcnt
Of tho necessary contemplated assossn,ent Of
hsSa that hosn since the sad Decree
the objocts Of the Company, and tho c1pondl-
tures hRye been confined to tho operation only
that, at the election OF officers, q Director Is
known to have declared that the dobts Of tho
amount; that On the 18th Of December, 1879,
q judgment was obtained in favor Of tho Com
marcial National Bank, and, on tho 9th Of Jan
uary Inst, anothor Judgment, entered by default,
ments were allowed, in order to give preference
to the bank as creditor. Tho petition winds
up BY asking rule to show cause, nnd . war
rant of aeizure for the distribution Of the aa-
BetB among tho creditors; and tho Court or
dored rule to show cauao.
OTHER PETITIONERS IN BANKRUPTCY.
Tho Illinois Iron and Bolt Company yesterday
fled petition for tho adjudication Of James D.