The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-02-23
A VIGOROUS CLAIMANT
He Unexpectedly Turns Up In
This City,
And, Brushing Away Ancient Cob
webs, He Lays Claim to
Valuable Property.

The whirligig of time brings to the sur
face many strange things, and with ia
tally born of some mysterious power,
woefully puts the times out of Joint and
scatters confusion with reckless energy.
Many, many years ago Colonel Lewis P.
Cooke, one of General Sam Houston's
aids, located the city of Austin. Mrs. Mary
Cooke, his wife, was we'll known here in
early days, and she and her husband were
very friendly with Colonel Thomas P. Nc
Kinney, who owned great deal of land
on Onion creek, where he resided and
where his old homestead still stands, near
the Mckinney falls.
Colonel Cooke and his wife died at
Brownsville, Texas, in 1849, during the
cholera epidemic, leaving several grand
children. Prior to their death, however,
Col. Tim Mckinney transferred TO them
large tract of land lying on Onion creek,
the deed for which is on record ia this
county, and it differs somewhat from an
ordinary Decd inasmuch, as it specifies
for what purpose the land shall be used.
1t says, so The STATESMAN is informed,
ohAp WV AohA VI Abb piOOOO0o oman Ohiy DC
used to educate and care for the children
of Colonel and Mrs. Cooke, and shall be
theirs when they come of age.
One of the children, Miss Cora, married
a gentleman named Bennett. Mrs. Bennett
died leaving a son, an infant. He was
reared by lady, now living in Corpus
Christi, until he was years of age, when
his father left Texas and carried his little
son to Kentucky.
Time wore on and the great procession
of years marched by, and the young man
breathing the June air of Kentucky,
grew and waxed strong. During
all the years he was reaching
his manhood he never forgot the
kind lady who cared for him when wee
tot Of boy, and he determined to come
to Texas to see her, if still alive.
| He did so. He found her still living in
Corpus Christi, and she was greatly re-
iniced to see him, and, in truth, she had
cause to be, for he is full grown, of good
address, and bears the impress of the true
gentleman.
She talked over the past with him, and
as she talked, the whirling mists
of time cleared away, disclosing
facts he had never even dreamed of. She
told him of his grandfather and grand
mother, of lands and property they
ownt in the long ago, and which fell to
his mother. She told of the land given
his grand parents by Colonel Mckinney
and the peculiar features of the deed.
She had often heard it spoken of and
remembered we'll. Old people always do.
1t was about ten weeks ago he met his
old friend, and some days ago Mr.. r. p.
Bennett, the young man, turned up in
Austin. He examined the records and he
found everything exactly as stated to him
in Corpus Christi. The deed from Co.
Tom Mckinney with its unusual provisions
is a matter of record in this county. It's
there in white and black, and it is fear
ful menace, so the story goes, to what is
now very valuable property.
One tract of land he has set up claim to
consists of 764 acres nov owned by Mr..
Jim Smith, on Onion creek adjoining the
old Mckinney tract A small tract con-
sists of nineteen acres, which embraces a
great part of what is known as Wheeler
grove Just back of the University. For
these two tracts suit will be instituted in a
few days, ind Attorney W. w. Wood and
Others are now preparing the papers.
But this is not all. Mr.. Bennett has a
sister living in Robertson county who is
claiming big slice of lands over Onion
creek, and it is said the Caperton and
rhaxton places will be involved,as we'll as
Mr.. Jim Smiths.
Yet, still, this is not all. Colonel Cooke
owned great deal of other property, and
his young grandson, in nosing around
among musty old records, is discovering
the fact.
In short, he has discovered, among
other things, that the corner where the
First National bank now stands, and the
corner occupied by the Hutchings Print
ing house, was once his graudfather's, and
he can fiud no trace of his ever having
sold it. This being so, very vigorous
search is being made for all the evidence
bearing on the titles, and it is within the
range of possibilities that suit will be
brought for the lots indicated.
All in all, Mr.. Bennett, by his claims, is
causing some confusion among property
owners, and the outcome of the affair will
ba ua tched with iptaraat