Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-07-31

abo7t Mercer street. I have for MANY
years looked after some property there,
passing titles, etc., and 1 never heard of
such an estates. and I don't think it e1-
lists"
One OF the searchers in the registers
Office, who has grown grey in the bust
ness said: s'People have been here al
ready to look at this estate. Some Mer-
GERS came here to day from New Jersey
to see If they would not come in for a
share OF the estate. Now it go happens
that there is not in this office any record
OF deed or anything else that would
lead to the belief that any person as the
so-called Moses Mercer ever existed.
The dispatch says that the property is
IN and around Mercer street. Why, re-
Gently all tLat property belonged to
the Bayard estate and was part of the
old Bayard farm and was held by the
Bayards long after the time of the go
called lease. Mercer street and Ed
ridge, Wooster ard others were named
after officers in the war of 1872, and not
after persons who owned property there.
1t is one Of those schemes by which un-
scrupulous lawyers catched foolish peo-
pie who put up money to pay the ex-
pense of litigation, which money the
originators of the scheme pocket"
at Is curious fact" added another
searcher, "that these speculative schemes
always originate in the west and south
west. The people who come here, and I
have known some of them to come hun
dreds of miles on this sort of business,
are always long. haired, gullible persons
from the west. I never knew a New
England man to be caught in this bust
ness. Awhile ago large part Of Har-
lem was claimed in this way, and only a
few months ago a similar claim was
made to an alleged estate on the east
side. There are lawyers who make a
regular business of it, In one instance
the so-called heirs paid nearly $4,000
in assessments for litigation. I never
knew one of these claims to be success
full. If you look up the record of an
assignment of deed in the Edwards case
You will find how these things are
worked"
The so-called Edwards claim was start
ed in Ohio in 1876. It was claimed that
one Edwards owned a plot of thirty five
acres in this city, which was leased to
the crown of England for ninety nine
years, and that the lease expired in 1872.
It was first located about Broadway and
Canal street, and afterward over on the
East side. Meetings of the heirs were
held, assessments were levied, and finally
on August 16, 1875, an assignment of
the deed was fled in the recorders Office
by which Justice G.. Edwards, Catherine
Tennis, Amanda Edwards and others of
Ohio ''for good, valuable and sufficient
consideration, viz, the sum of 500, re-
leased, sold and quit claimed forever"
to Henry W. Ingersou and Henry Ed
wards, ''the following real estate or in
heritance, property and premises in
remainder or reversion, situated in the
city Of New York and known and bound
ed in substance as follows, viz: the Ed
wards estate, so-called, formerly owned
by one Robert Edwards, who interma7-
ried with Margaret Culin, and leased
said premises to the crown of England
for ninety mine years, which SAID prem
ises are situated, as understood at pres
ent, on the east side of Broadway from
the Battery up the street far enough and
deep enough to contain thirty to thirty
five acres of land"
It would trouble the most expert real
estate man in the city to find that prop
erty according to that instrument. The
property where the estate is said to exist
was all divided and occupied at the time
the lease to the crown of England is said
to have been made. A large percentage
of the heirs who made that assignment
were unable to write, but made their
marks. Men with pioneer look fire.
quently come in to see the record of the
Edwards estate, so that the work of find
ing gudgeons is probably still going on.
Not long after the record was made in
the registers Office some one obliterated
the figures 500 and wrote $1,000 over
them. 1t is thought in the registers
office that good sums of money are made
by lawyers who get up these mythical
estates. The law which secures per-
son after twenty years peaceable posses
sion of property does not apparently
interfere with this business.
Have tried Tongaline with good re-
anita and find II will cnre the worst f0rma