New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-07-04
MYTHICAL ESTATES IN NE W. YORK.
THE STORY ABOUT THE MERCER PROPERTY
now SOME LAWYERS MAKE A LIVING-THE
GUDGEONs FOUND IN THE WEST

now SOME LAWYERS MAKE IIviNG-THE
aUDGEoSs FOUND IN THE WEST.
The story telegraphed from Chicago about a
S4OOOOOO 900 Mercer estate In this city which awaits
legal claimants rdlcued at the Tax Office and In
the Registers office yesterday. THAT ia probably
another scheme by whoh soIne lawyer seeks to make
money out OF gudgeons said President Coleman, OF the
Tax Dep ,rtment I'VE hear OF them every now aud
then. 1t Is surprising how they succeed Ia getting
people to put up money 70 secure mythical estates.
This particular estate they say Is IN aud about Mercer
ST. Ihave many years looked after some property
there passing ttlcs AMI never heard OF such an
estate, and don't think II exists.
One Of the searchcrs In the Registers Office, who has
grown gray In the business said People have been
already look up this estate Some dercers came
to-day from NewJersey to see IL they would not
for share or the estate. Now IL 80 happens
that thcro Is IN this Office any record OF decd or
Anything else that would bolet that such
person so-calei Moses Mercer ever existed The
Dispatch says ,h, property is in and around Mer-
car-st Why recently ali th property belonged 10 the
Baysri and part OF tho Old Bayard farm and
held by BIyard. long after the time or the so
caed leasc Morser-st. AMI Eldridye, Wooster and
otner- we're narnei officers Ia the War OF 1872.
and not after parsons who owned property there it Is
one II those schemes by which INSCRIPTIONS lawyers
catch foolish peops put money to pay the ex-
penses tisaton which money the orsinators or the
scheme pocket"
"Itis a curious faot," added another searcher "thst
these speculative schemes always originate in the West
and Southwest The people who come here. and have
known of them To come hundreds OF miles on ths
sort Of business always lOnghaired guloe persons
from the West never knewa NewEngland man to be
caught in this business. A while ago large part OF
Harlem claimed in this way, and only few months
ago similar claim made TO an alleged estate on the
East Side. There lawyers VINO make a
regular business OF 1t In one instance the
r.TI Al m
4atlon. never knew ono OF these claim. TO % sue,
cessfu n ypu look up the record OF an Asgun mt OF
deed the Edwards case you Will hnd now ths'e things
The soc,lIed Edward. clsl,u was startei in ohio In
1876. IL claimed that Que Etwtris owned
plot OF thrtyhye acres In thls city, whch was ieasu
To tho Crown OF ENGLAND FOR ninety-nne years and nat
Broadway an Csnals and afterward ovef on Tue East
side Meetings hers were held, as.e-snents were
nrmt OF deed was died REGISTERS
Office by which Justus g. Isl ards. herine IennIs
valuable sufficient constellation VIZ the SUN ..
$OU. released. sod aud qutc'alnei forever 10 hon'y
W Ingersnll AMI H. Dry Edwards, "Ihe following rea
estate Inheritance property ami premises ~ .T" anu
der reversiOn. situate IN Tue city 81 Ne" iUn "
known aud bounded substance a. follows. VIZ the
Edwards estate. so-'alled, formerly O"hrn Wy ono
Robert Edwards, who lnternarr ed WIN ' i
Gu H. and leased SAT- premises the Crow or bnS'n
30 ."n"os, 5,ii IRE n,es and estate are
undefsrood Al present on the east side OF Broadway
tho Battery no Ge street lar enough ana uoeP
IL voud trouble tho most export real estate
man IN the city 10 hud tnat PoprrJ
according TO that Instruments The property
where Tue estate said 10 oxst Was all DIVIDED aua
occuprd AT the time the lease the Crown Of ENGLAND
/, said To nave made. large percentage 81 tDe
heirs who male that assignment we're unable 70 w'ite
Inn made tner MARKS Men with pioneer look ire
qurnty the record OF tue Ed wards estate
"a Thai the work Of nnng gu1geOns IL proOaOiy SIN
v,ing on Not long after reoOyd was made IN me
Registers office oOlltorat-d tho nsures ?oo
aud ! 900 over them II 10 Thought IN III" l.
later office good OF money are made Oy is"
GERS who get up thlca csttea The law when
secure, a prrsOn a twenty years peacoaDle poses.
sion OF property does not apparently Interfere with ths
hua