The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1880-01-31

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The SPRINGER BooM-MEErING OF
the HENS Al ST LoUrs-THr EFrEcr
IN DELAwARE.-James S. Watson
and O. P. Jolliffe returned last Sat
urdsy from St. Louis, Mo-, where
they had gone to represent the inter
ests Of the heirs who reside In this
vicinity, in the Springer Convention
held in that city last week. The
meeting received considerable atten-
ton from the press of st. Louis.
One of the papers says the gathering
is probably one Of the most remark
able of its kind ever occurring in
the country, and it attracted de-
gree OF interest corresponding with
its magnitude. The entire action of
the Convention was not made public,
but the developments were sufficient
to encourage many Of the heirs and
cause them to take more advanced
ground in the prosecution Of their
stupendous claim On the second
day of the meeting the Chairman
read the following communication
relative to
THE SCARE IN DELAWARE.
A decided sensation has just been
created here by claim just made 10
upwards of 500 acres of land within
the city limits, the which, if estab-
lished, will render hundreds of fam
lies homeless. In addition to these
500 acres in the city, the claimants
aver their ability to recover twice as
much valuable farm property only a
short distance from Wilmington, and
Immediately adjoining the village of
Newport. This is by no means a
new scare for Delaware landholders;
nearly every town or village in the
country has at some time been forced
to show cause why it should not pass
into the clutches of a horde of hun
CRY heirs Of some precautionary
nabob. And not infrequently there
have been decisions by local Courts
that have inspired the claimants,
and only a few years have elapsed
since the people of the village of
Clayton, the largest peach-shipping
station on the Delaware Railroad,
were glad to compromise with certain
parties, who held just such a claim
as is now to be prosecuted against
landholders of this city. Yet they
did not do this until they had been
defeated in several Courts and were
compelled to admit that their further
resistance was hopeless. 5.ass
The result in the Clayton case pre-
sents dark appearance, taken as a
precedent, and we in no wise exag
gerate in declaring that no news has
been heard here in a dozen years
that has provoked so much discus
sion or elected one. half the uneasl-
ness as that which has been produced
by the announcement of the ex-
istence of this claim. The Swedish
people who settled in Delaware in the
seventh century were wellto7do, and
one Of their first and most pious acts
was to build the Church which still
stands as monument of the antiq-
uity of the State. In 1893 Charles
Christopher Springer appears as n
trustee Of that Church, and in its
name he bought Of Hollandcr named
John Stahlkupp 500 acres OF land
adjoining the Church. About 40
years later Chas. Christopher Spring
er leased the land for certain ground
rent, upon the condition that if the
lessee failed to improve the property
and did not pay the rent promptly
the land should then revert to the
Church. ..s mi..f ..I ~. ~
In the following year Springer
died, and the lease was declared at
an end. The Church continued in
possession Of this tract of land UNI
til 1777, when the then trustees leased
it to Joseph Townsend for the period
Of 1000 years. 1t was subsequently
sold, subject to this lease, to man
named John Springer, the hat ma
ker, who is supposed to have been
the son of the Swedish Baron, Chas.
Christopher Springer. This purchase
was effected upon the commencement
of the present century. Under the
Townsend title, which passed over to
Springer, there is one piece of land
held in Springers name to this day.
There is no record to be found which
shows that the lease made by the
Church to Townsend was ever an
nuled, and this is one of the points
which will be relied on by the Spring
er heirs in the war they propose to
inaugurate against the occupants of
this property.
The trustees Of the Church, how
ever, as time rolled on, refused to ac-
knowledge the binding power Of the
title claimed by Springer, and the
land was sold by other parties. The
City Of Wilmington grew, the 500
acres were sold out in building lots.