The New York herald., 1876-12-26
BAyKRUPTED BY BUILDERS.
A Woman's Story Of Her In
juries and Wrongs.
INTERESTING TO CITY LOT OWNERS
A House Which Goes Begging
for Tenants.

Ing. Ihc sunJect promises 10 become ono OF uecdeu
public interest alter it gets into The courts not only
IRON the nature OF the story itself and its importance
TO properly owners but the business prominence
and position OF the parties concerned II the
statement wh.c follows presen taton
OF the facts which Il is believed be- IT shows that
lady living in Brooklyn has been cruelty done out OF
her property by an unscrupu,ous and ptilcss agent
The acs Of the case, nearly they can be
tained at present, as iollows-
Tho lady alluded to resides No. 100 Fulton street.
Brooklyn, and is member OF OF the old fam-
lies OF city. She is widow with three children,
two young daughters and son, who living with
her. In 1878 she in comfortable and modcr-
atey aluent circumstances, the of consider
able real estate located the principal streets OF
Brooklyn, well to do widow II would be said. She
absolutely pennilcss and in short time to be
turned cut from the only shelter which remains to her
and Lcr chldrcna few cold. dark, cnoerless rooms in
so-caed French fiat on Fulton street This ruin she
attributes, directly and soemny, to the wilful mis-
management Of her agent Mr Sylvester Hondlow, .
well known real estate Brooklyn. This.is, OF
course most grave and serious charge. and only
be entertained aud published affecting cuizen OF
Mr.. Hondow's standing upon reasonable evidence Of
its being grounded on facts. These, it is submitted,
such cntitc her story hearing, aud in that
belief it is reported with additional corroborative cir
compiled from the official papers in the case, and
Of pdrte. In order that both sides should
be heard reporter OF the HERALD waited upon Mr..
Hondlow, and, stating tho case IL came TO him,
asked the agent TO give his version OF the Affair." prom
Using that 1t should be carefully taken down. This
offer Mr.. Hondlow pcremptoriy declined ana the re-
porter therefore compelled TO use the afadavits
and to employ expert investigation or
the building.
Mrs. Anna NJ Kerr, the plaintiff in the suit for
S2 600 damages, states that in September 1873 being
At that time without al agent for her property, Mr.
Hondlow came TO her and told her. what seems to
have been, unfortunately, too true, that she knew
very little about business affairs, and that he would
take the whole charge of those matters off her hands
AS she knew Mr. Hondlow's standing in the COM
mnnity wealthy and responsible real agent,
she put absolute confidence in him and trusted the
management of her whole property entirely to his
hands. All applications Tor purchase of prop.
erty wore referred exclusively to him, and his ap-
prasas and decisions were, in mos. instances, final
She living at that time in her
house, No. Al Sands street, and owned
In addition to this, building and lot front.
offered for sale or lease The house old and Of
comparatively little value, but the and is es-
;cemsd a lne ono for building purposes. Among other
oilers for this property IN application made TO
Mr. Hondiow by Mr. Alsgood, OF the frm Of Alsgood &
Rausch, No. 60 Fulton street. asking what The lot
was valued at. The answer was, 1880, 900. and
dollar lcss. Mr.. Asgood, who stated 10 the reporter
that he WAS then willing to give reasonable price,
$1,000 Tor the property, immediately Jeff tho ofice
with the Impression that Mr.. Hondow had no desire
sell the property he demanded prep0sterous
price Tor II. All knowledge OF this application, the
lady declares In her affidavit concealed from her
by MI Hondlow, and she solemnly that she
would have accepted such an offer as Mr. Alsgood
the time In the fail OF the same year the house
standing on the lot was burned, and Of
1000 was paid upon 1t TO the lady, the
OF which she deposited with trust company on Wall
street. She then strongly advised by Mr.. Hond-
low TO put up building herself on the property, IN
stead OF selling renting 1t ground lease.
When she objected that she had money to invest in
this proposed building he told her, she alleges that
there would be trouble about that for would
that the money provided and that she should
have trouble whatever IN the matter .For
$50 900 at the outside ho would have handsome and
suitable building erected, which should bring her a
large rent and be in every way an admirable invest
on NOR gage from the Mutual Lie Insuranoe Com
pany, and any possible dchct arising from the fact
,ha, there s was al srsaay mortgsss E Of s. 200 on the
her other real estate in Brooklyn.
MISPLACED cosFipExcR
As sho placed Implicit trust in hrs judgment shc
consented TO the proposal and architect, Mr. N. j.
Morrill,, selected by Mr.. Hondlow. Plans and
specifications submitted to her, which she ignor-
anly approved, still bllndy trusting her agent and
the OF the building, arranged tor the
o o. Rsiere "a @ n1s was con-
the 900 which had been to her credit with
Wall street trust company was transferred by her
agents demand TO his control, the plea that Il
necessary him 10 settle with contractors par
tally advance OF the work done, though nothing
stipulated to this effect in any of the Dur
ing the winter which followed 1s73-74 she becalne
alarmed for various reasons for the safety
its return from MI. Hondlow He as repeatedly re-.
fused only by the aid OF ustiuable strata
gem that she was able TO recover possession Of her
money. She had now become uneasy she
management OF her agent aud the architect whom he
employed; and going 70 them o.en, as she says with
nrro vNf ehavn
her whole fortune was wrapped up in this building,
ana that iatai mistake or avodablc neglect might
easily ruin herself and her children. first thoy
soothcd and reassurcd her with protcstatons entire
devotion TO her interests; but the year went on
at the end OF tho year, when the building At last
completed, they told her TINT she should and must
sign her acceptance Of IT. whether she was satisfied
with IL not For moro than two months, from
December TO February lS74-75, she protested and
pleaded, but was at length fairly browbeatcn. she
says into It's acceptance In the latter month
as Sue had finally assumed the obligation they cut
loose from all former restraint and than onco
tainted her with her helpless condition in having .
white eephan. on her hands, which might wi,h as
much justice be termed wnited scpulchre, will be
shown hereafter.
Meanwhile the bills of the different contractors bad
In, amounting in the aggregate to nearly $27 000
though she had been solcmniy assured by Mr.. Hond-
low, been sad that the whole OF the build
ing not TO exceed $4,000 To meet those bills
she Obliged u expeud the 600 OF her insurance
money IN addition 10 tho cash receipts OF Sl4 S37
from The Mutual Lite Insurance Company and TO put
besides. second mortgage of $1,000 on the property
In order pay the instruments this last mortgage
they became due, as we'll as the taxes on her
house her current expenses, she has been
obliged TO sell In succession her houses Adams and
York streets at great sacrice, and. lastly hor
bousc sands street She has now, therefore to
represent old real estate, the house ana lot only
Fulton and Poplar street, saddled ~ith mortgages
amounting In the aggregate, to $25, ,000
MONEY.
But her house must be a fine one II will DO said, 10
have cost 80 large sum Of money! Now, the con-
sructon and condton of this house Ia the main point
of story ana the very Keystone Of the whole
Ii that Is suitable bearabie the whole case,
however much the judgment OF the agent may be Gen.
surcd, practically alls the ground Tor lack OF su
cient testimony What is then, the condition Of this
bu,dngs OutwardIy II 10 air enough and might give
just cause for complaint but tho same cannot be said
OF the design and execution OF those portions which
hidden from public view. The HERALDs reporter
satisfied himself on this point after close personal
Inspection but for the sake of tie public he cndeav