The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-14
JACKSON II0LLOW'S HISTORY
WHY A NOTORIOUS REGION IN BROOK
LyN rs YET UNIMI'ROYED.
An Oid Estate Crashed Under the Load or Ac.
cumuisted Taxes-A Home for sau~ttcr.-
A Detectives Experiences with the Gang.


nous with crime and misery.
Years ago Brooklyn grew up 10 tho old jack
son estate. whose boundary on the north was
Flushing avenue. extending ms far south as
half way between Quincy md Gates avenues.
and bounded on the cnst by what arc called the
Delnplain and Cowenhovcn farms. and on the
west by the Ryerson farm. being two sets Of full
blocks between Schenck street and Grand
avenue. with strip on the east of Schcnck and
another on the west Of Grand-some sixty acres
in ALL This property remains unmproved. In
any proper Specification Of the word. In few
isolated cases attempts have been made to clear
up the titles to portions Of the land, and thus
render II available for Improvement But the
result has been class Of improvements very
inferior TO those that overlook its lower or west
ern boundary In Grand avenue.
The cause Of tho stationary character OF this
section was originally the decd Of conveyance
for nominal consideration by the original
owner Samuel Jackson who settled on the tract
in 1928 to John Jackson. his cousin. This deed
gave John Jackson the property AZ a life estate.
with remainder TO his heirs. John Jackson
died In 1861 at the age Of So 10 W. 'fe father
OF eleven children. Stephen C.. RosaDc>. saac,
Jacob. Charles. Coe d.. Parmenus. Tschard.
Edward Elizabeth Ann. Rosetta and Fanny.
Until John Jackson's death these children
could not give satisfactory title, or do any
thing with the property on account az the UNI
certainty to who would inherit the title.
Hence IT lay uncared for: taxes and assess
ments accumulated and in 1886 or 1897 the
Court OF Chancery directed the sale OF portion
Of the property for the purpose Of realizing
money with which to pay the taxes and asscss-
ments. and thus prevent the sequestration Of
the properly Very few persons took title un-
der this sale. inasmuch ms itdid not make salts
factory title. Then, in ls4s when the youngest
of IN" childrn 81 John Jackson became OF age
the children having previously procured from
their iathcr the conveyance Of his life estate To
them. and presuming that they held the whole
tito to the property. made voluntary partition
among themselves. and endeavornd to establish
such title us would make the property mar
kctahle. But In this they failed.
Subsequently several Of the children becom-
ing ON barrnsscd through the judgments against
ton by the sheriff. and they failed 10 redeem
the property under tho Impression that the only
Interest ~ the property that could be sold 10y
Of their father. Hence they would moi redeem.
and the property was sold Tor u nominal price.
Then came long years II litigation aud the
nnal result Of tho decisions ~ the Court of Ap.
pea,s was that those who purchased from any
or who purchased tie interests OF these chill
drcn AZ any Of the Sherifrs sales. had a good
tt.e 10 ten-elevenths OF the property. The title
t. the other ono. eleventh WAS defeated by the
death oi Fanny Baldwin. ono Of John Jarkson's
children. who died before be- did. and whose
on"-cleveuth interest WAS vested IN her child.
Mranwhile the property during all this litigR-
ton remained nn.mproVed. and had become so
involved hy assessments for local improve
inrnis and sales Tor nnpaid taxes ana ASSESS
meuiS that the encumhrlncss were equal 10,
md in many eases greater than. tho value ~ thu
lots. SuuHtters had put up their shanties on
the property. Ia some cas- - IN" sQHatt"rs nave
been shr"wd enough 60 acquire. At slight rX-
pense some title TO the property in the many
transfers that have been made of parts Il the
ground on which their dwellings stand la
lSrS some tprruintors rrol"s.d ~ buy out me
they found themselves opposed by insurmount-
aulc obstacles ia the number and variety Ot the
conflirtin interests. There We're the purchas-
ers from the SHERIFF. sales vino owned ten
elevenfhs oi the lots. There were the Jack sons
Who owned one-elevenih under the last par
luton. Then there were persons holding tax
titles and Hss' ssment titles to various portions
OF the property and the s,Iuatters who, IN some
cases. owned their litue pieces Of land. Alto
muddie thar the scheme abandoned.
Ar"in. some ,9ur or five wears ago advances
active part ~ the litigation on the part Of the
Jacksons. II he could buy un all thc properly
on any one street. capitalist then proposed "a
Improve II III the best manner. and in accord
nnrr with other improvements ola It's outskirts.
Mr.. Osborn chose Lafayette avenue as hi- field
ot operations, II being one OF the best streets on
the farm. and the frccst from encumi RANGES.
The greater part ~ this property was owned 10y
Stephen Jackson who has since died hut who
was then In litigation with a man named An
drews. Mr.. Oshorn's propos itiOn to them was:
between YOU fix a pric. on the property: then
come To- me aud see II We can come To- terms. II
we can agree upon price. the money VIII be
placed in some safe depository who're II can
money instead Of Tor the land. and need have
no fear of taxes ana assessments running up TO
further dopreciaie lis value. Here seemed 60 Do
the golden opportunity. hut while Jackson
readily agreed To the proposition Andrews re-
lect"d II. and 80 the PROJECT was defeated
So involved and encumber"d j. this property
that no improvement seems possible. unless
the city, 10y renitting portion Of It's unpaid
taxes. renders it attractive to capital and thus
Z II and "A fDr
r9.gnnss.
low gang H." reporter for rHE SuN was told.
20 TO Detective 10 Price He knows them ali.
aud is noted for his successful encounters and
the number OF his arrests.
To Detective Price the reporter went. He
found him IN the Fourth Precipf police STA
ton. He Is a large. shrHwd- lOOking man. The
first mention 81 Jackson Hollow elected from
tie detective the remark:
Yes saw you proving around there this
Having removed his coat placed his Derrln.
ger ana billy ga the table before him. lit cigar
and elevated his feet, Detective Price then began
jackson Hollow is probably the worst ~ the
Sums o. BROOKLYN. Because there are good
MANI mad characters there, some persons con-
denim thu whole lot. There are. however many
hard working, industrious lahoring men, with
their families, who live there b"cause IL IL
cheap. Formerly they were squat ers aud paid
~ rent now. believe, they have 10 pay from
81 10 80 per month ground rent The fact H.
some ~ them are had, root ana branch but in
q good many think the most cnses-ihe
trouble Is wiin the RISING generation. and they
spring up lkc weeds. These Youngsters are
reared IN idlen"ss and ignorance: begin 10y
break the panes Of glass Of uno"cupied
houses and So 20 ON from m schief 10 devItry
from devlltry to crime. and by the time thoy are
OF age they ar" ready for ANYTHING. from a
highway robbery 10 u bank burglary. They
they are beyond the pale Of the law"
haye no attempts been nude by the police
OH yes aud Mother Fnnerty. who used 10
pc m Srhrn'k street. the third door above VIII