St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-22
A LEGAL WHLRLWIND
Which Threatens to 0verturn the Titles to
One Hundred and Twenty Acres
in Minneapolis,
Embraced in Silver Lake and Oakland Ad-
ditions, Which Are Mostly Held by
Real Estate Spectators.
A Foreclosure of n Mortgage as tn
Act of n Man Long in
His Grave.
A Well-Known St. Paul Attorney the
Mortgagee--Story of the Claim
ants Attorneys.

Yesterday at the Office of the treasurer Of
Hennepin county the entire amount of
taxes, aggregating 5000, due on Oakland
and Silver Lake additions, was paid by
George A. Bennett and Francis G. Burke.
the attorneys At the same time an eXem-
plitied copy of the letters testamentary in
the estate of Joseph Hall, who died at
Rochester, n. Y, June 6, 1865, was filed.
TO which was annexed the following aft
davit of George n. Bennett:
George n. Bennett, being first duly sworn,
deposeS and say S that he knows of his own
knowledge that the person in the annexed
and foregoing letters testamentary mentioned
as Joseph Hall, deceased, whose last win and
testament is herein allowed and admitted to
probate in June. 1865, was the same person
who was mortgage of that certain mortgage
bearing the date of Dec. 81, 1855,
to tract of land in Hennepin
county. Minnesota, described as follows: The
north half of the southeast quarter, and the
southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of
section g., town 29, of north range a west,
which mortgage is recorded in Book B, pages
4S6 and 437, of the records of Hennepin
county; that said mortgage is falsely pre-
tended to be closed by advertisement as the
falsely-pretended act of Joseph Hail in the
year 1870, being more than five years after
the death of Joseph Hall, he having died in
the year 1865; that said falsely-pretended
fraud upon the public and invalid.
GEO. n. BENNETT.
Y IheSe two circumstances were sufficient
10 arouse III the mind of a GLOBE reporter
who was present the lingering suspicion
that the transactions involved something
out of the usual line concerning a large
tract of Minneapolis real estate. which is
recognized as valuable property. A visit to
the Office of Messrs. Burke & Bennett eIic
tied the following statement of the case.
which was given for the purpose of secur-
ing to the public what is deemed by them
to be correct narration, devoid of the sens
ational features which would otherwise be
certain to creep in:
HOW IT CAME ABOUT.
This land, the north half of the southeast
quarter and southwest quarter of northeast
quarter of section 9. town 90, range "a (120
acres, was originally patented to George
Est1hrook, who conveyed it to Alexander
Moore, who, Dec. 81. 1855, mortgaged it to
Joseph Hall of Rochester, n. Y, for S277,
to secure promissory note in that amount
falling due Oct. l, 1857. In 1856 AeXan-
der Moore conveyed this land by deed of full
conveyance of warranty to Jacob 3. Baus-
man and Zenas E. Britton. for 81 1900, the
deed stating that it was free from all en-
cumbrance except the mortgage In the
fall of 1870, as the records show in the Of
fee of the register of deeds, there was re-
corded what purports to be notice of fore
closure sale of this mortgage, dated and
published at that time, purporting TO have
been given and signed by Joseph Hall (who
had then
BEEN DEAD FIVE YEARS
and four months, as mortgage, and upon
the corner of the notice appears the name