Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-01-16

TseE I'LL aeessSf new
4 citissn i u. Joseph, No, writes
he No fl4t ~ S4tsD brohers nsmed
Edwards who emiGrated to this country
from Wales before tie revolution,
grant was made Of thirty-fve or forty
Scres Of land; sftuatSs1 north Of what Is
now Canal street. and west OF Broad
way This land iwas Leased In 1890 BY
Robert Edwards for ninety mime years,
ct the expiration 0f which twas to re-
vert 70 the heirs. me ieSse having
Terminated, the letter continues, the
heirs of the three hrothers, living in
Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa., Nehrssks
and Virgins, are now moving, with
the aid ii able lawyers, to Dust the
present possossors Of the property and
obtain their rights. The Fcommunica-
tor concludes with the announcement
that there has thus far been no notice
taken of what will become cause cole
bfe by the New York newspapers, for
the reason that the Metropolitan press
Is bribed TO keep silence. T,- 81,
This letter reporter Of the Sun laid
before John p. Jayne, Of whom it il
said that what he doesn't know about
real eetate in New York Is not worth
knowing. ~ s. ifiss7s IS. y
..You win find the first mention OF
that Edwards claim here" Mr.. jayne
said, opening one Of his many scrap
books and pointing TO an extract from
. Gadsden, Ga, paper, dated July 1868.
The extract runs ~ follows: Il
Two Of the defendants Of Robert
Edwards. living in Gadsden, received
information thst . large amount of val
liable property, situated in the City Of
New York, on Canal street, estimated
to be worth e82. 00O, 900. will come in
to possession Of the heirs Of the said
Edwards upon proving their identity.
This property consists Of an estate
granted by George Of England to Rob
ert Edwards about the same time the
grant was made to Trinity Church,
which to day, by reason Of that grant,
is the wealthiest ecclesiastical corpora-
ton in the world. Robert Edwards
leased this property, asdid the trustees
Of the Trinity grant, for nfnety-nine
years. This lease has expired, and
the persons now in possession recognize
the fact and win be compelled to give
possession when the heirs prove their
identity. Gen. Edwards, Of La Grange,
Ga, known over the Southern States -
a great railroad man, has employed
Ben. Hill and Judge Bingham for the
heirs, and they will, We understand,
Immediately institute suit; for posses-
sion. We learn further that the occu.
pants, OF the property are 50 well salts
fed that the title 81 the heirs of Ed
wards Is valid that they will not contest
IL uvcas.t or, far - nossn - thnv> ~
prove themselves descendants Of said
'tHave You copied thats, Here's an
other" said Mr.. Jayne, showing the
following paragraph from . Tennessee
paper of some time In 1871:
''The Rev. J, 8. Edwards, Of Mar
shalltown, lows, 10 said to inherited .
large estate in England. In 1772 Rob
ert Edwards, his grandfather, leased to
the crown q valuable piece Of land for
ninety-nine years. The lease expired
on the 18th Of last July, and Mr.. Ed
wards has received notice through
Boardman, Brown & Williams, of Mar
shutdown, that he,f with thirty-four
other persons, was heir to the estate,
which has now reached the fabulous
value of SS2, OOO, 900! Mr.. Edwards il
. minister of the Methodist Episcopal
Church" sol,
Those win do for samples" Mr..
Jayne began. II have others Of the
same kind, but it would be::Only dupl-
eating what you've got, to copy them.
I have ALSO, you see, entries on my
books of inquiries by Edwardses in vif-
ginia and other states. relative to the
estate once supposed to be owned some
time in the last century by Robert and
George Edwards. and leased by them
for lninety-nine years. Now I will tell
you the secret Of it all. About 1876
Anneka JAMS claimants made quitclaim
deeds and leases of certain lands to no
less . person than Aaron Burr. who
gets possession Of all he can, under
pretense that he will prosecute the
claims in their interest. Instead OF do
ing so, he leases the same to John ia
cob Astor for long term of years.
That lease expired in 1866, and Will
liam b. Aston turned the lease over TO
the Trinity Church corporation. The
property leased by Burr embraced
about fifty acres Of land between Canal
and Christopher streets. and running
from Macdougal street to the water.
among the claimants so deciding to
Aaron Burr were some persons OF the
Of the name of Edwards, and this is the
whole foundation Of the Edwards case.
IN. Y. Sun. ~
Young Illers.
The habit Of ..loafing" destroys more
young men in cities than all o1her caus-