Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-12-26

means of lever, are sold in Springfield
hardware stores for one dollar per pair.
| These skates used to sell for six and seven
dollars per pair before the patents on them
had run out. Every small boy in the city
has invested, and now sighs for ice.
An occasional item bObs up here and
there in the Ohio press about the alleged
Mercer estate, consisting of large amount
of real estate in the heart of New York
City. There was a great deal of discus
sion on the subject of this estate In the
press some months ago, which had cOnsid-
erable local interest from the fact that sew
eral of the heirs live in this city and vicinity.
So many persons in this city seem to
imagine that this Mercer claim is tangible
reality that il may be of interest to give
portion of an article on the subject from
the New York Tribune which investigated
the case thoroughly and found that there is
no such estate in New York City. The
Tribune says:
The story telegraphed from Chicago about
a S4OO, OOG, 900 Mercer estate in this city
which awaits legal claimants was ridiculed
at the tax Office and in the registers Office
yesterday That is probably another
scheme By which some lawyer seeks to
make money out of gudgeOns," said Presi-
dent Coleman, of the tax department.
I'VE hear of them every now and then. 1t
is surprising how they succeed in getting
people to put up money to secure mythical
estates. This particular estate, they say,
Is in and about Mercer street. have for
many years looked after some property
there, passing titles, etc, aud never heard
of any such an estate, and don't think it
exists"
One of the seaTchers in the registers Of
tice, who has grown gray in the business,
said: People have been here already to
look up this estate. Some MERGERS came
here today from New Jersey to see if they
would not come i'll for share Of the estate
Now 1t so happens that there is not in this
Office any record of deed or anything else
that would lead to the belief that any such
person as Moses Mercer ever existed. The
dispatch says that the property is in and
around Mercer street. Why, recently all
that property belonged to the Bayard es-
tate and was part of the old Bayard farm,
and was held by the Bsyards long after the
time of the so-cslled lease. Mercer street
and Eldridge, Wooster and others were
named after officers in the war of 1912, and
not after persons who owned property
INSCRIPTIONS lawyers catch foolish people
who put up money to pay the expenses of
litigation, which money the OriginatOrs of
the scheme pocket"
1T is a curious fact" added another
searcher, that these speculative schemes
always originate in the west and southwest.
A while ago a large part OF Harlem was
claimed in this way, and only few months
ago similar claim was made TO an alleged
estate on the east side. There are lawyers
who make a regular business of il. In one
instance the sO-called heirs paid nearly
$4,000 in assessments for litigation. |
never knew one of these claims to be sue
eessful. If you look up the record of an
assignment of deed in the Edwards case
you will find how these things are worked
This so-called Edwards claim was started
in Ohio in 1876. 1t was claimed that one
Edwards owned a plot of thirty-fye acres
in this city, which was leased to the crown
of England for ninety-nine years, and thst
the lease expired in 1872. 1t was first 10
Gated about Broadway and Canal street,
and afterward over on the east side. Meet
ings of the heirs were held. assessments
were levied. and finally. on August 10,
1876, an assignment of deed was filed In the
registers office by which Justus G.. Ed
wards, Catherine Tennis, Amanda Ed
wards, and others of Ohio, for good, valu-
able and sufilcient consideration, viz, the
sum of 500, released, sold and quit
claimed forever" to Henry W. Ingersoll and
Henry Edwards, ''the following real estate
or inheritance, property and premises in
remainder or reversiOn, situate in the city
of New York, and known and bounded in
substances as follows, viz: the Edwards
estate, sO-called. formerly owned by one
Robert Edwards, who intermarried with
Margaret Cuiin, and leased said premises TO
the crown of England for ninety-nine years.
which said lease expired In 1872. as sup
posed. Said premises and estate are stu
ate, as understood at present, on the east
side of Broadway from the Battery up the
street far enough and deep enough to con-
tain thirty to thrty-fiye acres of land"
1t would trouble the most expert real es-
tate man in the city to find that property ac-
cordng to that instrument. The property
where the estate is said to exist was all d.
vided 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 a
pioneer look frequently come in to see the
record of the Edwards estate, so that the
work of finding gudgeOns is probably still
going on. Not long after the record was
made in the registers office some one Oblit-
Grated the figures 500 and wrote 81, 900
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 person after twen
| ty years peaceable possession of property
| does not apparently Interfere with this busi-
ness.
| Travel on the street cars has not been
| lessened in the least on account of the re-
cent accident caused by collision of a
| locomotive with street car" said driver
yesterday. The accident will cause the
drivers to be more careful. Street car
travel has never been so safe as at present
because the precautions after an accident of
any kind are always doubled; besides, the
law Of chance renders the likelihood that a
SIMILAR accident will recur any time In the
near future infinitesimal.'
1t Is rumored that Frank Mcconnell, a
wsll-known citizen who left this city to