The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-04-29
WANTED $50 600 600.

WORK FOR TWO GENERATIONS OF LAWYERS
AND PERHAPS FOR THIRD-REvIvAL OF
AN OLD SUIT.
Under the above caption the New York
Sun says: In the rear yard of large livery
stable in Thirteenth street, near University
place, in deep, sunken stone vault, lies the
body of Jacob J. Arden, once prosperous
Knickerbocker farmer. A plain stone slab
lying fist on the ground, upon which the
ilth and litter of the stable have accumu-
lated, Is all that marks his grave
His farm extended from what is now
Fourth avenue nearly to Sixth avenue, and
from Eleventh street TO Fourteenth street.
He had also pastures between the modern
boundaries of Sixth and Eighth avenues
and Thirty-frst and Thirty-third Streets
and owned other property on Manhattan
Island. His homestead stood in Thirteenth
street, between Broadway and University
place, until about forty years sgo, when it
was torn down. Mr.. Arden died in 1901,
leaving wife and one son, DR.. Jacob 5.
Arden. His will provided that the property
should always be held by the Arden family,
and while his wife and son were permitted to
use it during their lives they were debarred
from selling it, and in the event of his sons
dying without heirs the property was to
fall to John Summers, nephew OF the tes-
mers, thinking that his chances of inherit
ing the estate were slight. sold out his pros
pective title to DIR. Arden for $1,000. Then
Mrs. Jacob J.. Arden, regardless of the stip-
ulations of the Will, began to sell the lands
at prices that attracted ready buyers. She
also mortgaged large part OF the property
to John jacob Aston, Judge James Roosevelt
and others, and, at the expiration of the
mortgages, Astor and Roosevelt foreclosed
and took possession of the land. Judge
Roosevelt had house on the property at
the time of his death. DIR. Arden died
about 1924, and his mother year later
l saving to her own family
THE REMNANT OF THE PROPERTY
that she had not sold or mortgaged. To the
widow of her son she left not a shilling.
This arbitrary disposal of the property in
defiance of the conditions of the will was of
course not satisfactory to the relatives of
Jacob J. Arden, and they took steps to re-
cover their lands. They instituted suit In
1925 against the purchasers of the land, and |
employed Col. Aaron Barr as their attorney. |
Col. Burr was confident OF success, but his |
efforts were frustrated, as one of the heirs,
John Brown, upon whose energy and wealth |
the prosecution depended, fell dead in The
court room in a fit, and his wife refused to
carry the suit further, and the other claim
ants were not able to press the case. Then
1854, and tried in the United States District
Court before Judges Nelson and Emmett
in September, 1855. Ex-Chief Justice /
Bronson, ex-Judge Beardsley, VIM. Curtis
Moves and the Hon. Levi Chatfield were az
for the prosecution. The judges,
one Of whom then lived in q house on the
disputed property, decided against the
heirs, but required that the case should be
taken to Washington, as it was of too great
importance to be settled by him. The case
slept IN the District Court for three years
without result, and the plaintiffs charged
that their attorney had been bought off for
s2500O0. The suit is again to be vigorously
prosecuted by the heirs, through Rebecca
Rowland, the last living niece of Jacob j.
Arden. g'he property is valued at more
than $50 900, 900. Jacob ]. Arden's will
ordered that his tomb in Thirteenth street
should always be kept by the family as
burial place, with the right of way TO its
portals The path that now leads TO il is
The hallway for livery horses. The bodies
Of Arden's two servants, one negro and
he other an Irishman, who saved the life of
his master in the revolution, lie with his
under the neglected sGone slab.
On the authority of a precOciOuS French