Omaha daily bee., 1888-03-10
THE PATRICK LITIGATION.
The Big Land Suit Brought in United
States Court

The Patrick addition litigation, which In
wolves nearly million dollars worth Of
North Omaha property and casts a cloud on
the title OF over l,400 different property
holders, was carried into the United States
circuit court yesterday afternoon. The SUI,
Is brought by Pierre, Elizabeth, Dennis and
Margaret Felix and Louis and Harriet
Robinson, heirs of Sophia Felix, against
Matthewson T. Patrick, Thomas c. Bruner,
julius Peycke, the Omaha Horse Railway
company, the Omaha Real Estate & Trust
company, l.. V. Morse and twenty-seven
others. Only the principal holders of prop
erty in the disputed ground are made defend
ants. There are 100 acres in the disputed
track, and il was formerly the property of
Sophia Felix, half-breed squaw ofthe Sioux
tribe of Indians, now stationed near Men
dota, MINI, The, plaintiffs. in the present
suit are her descendants. Besides the Patrick
additions there are included In the dis
puted property Durant Place, plat Clarendon
Frederick's addition, Marion Place, Van
Beuren Place, Wilson's addition to, Kountzo
Place, Flacks subdivision and Pope Place.
The defendants based their claim on gov.
ernment land scrip issued 10 Sophia Felix,
mother OF the plaintiffs, in 1880 The plain.
tiffs claim that in 1860 "somc person on per.
sons to your orators unknown, by certain
wicked devices and fraudulent means, pro-
cured the said Sophia Felix, then Sophia Gar
nell, together with her husband DavidDarnell,
to execute certain power OF attorney in
blank, also blank quit claim deed" Tho
scrip came into the possession OF Matthew
son 4. Patrick and he located the land in
question. II is also claimed that Sophia Felix
never parted with her interest in the scrip
and that the land located under
heirs, the plaintiffs. This, it Is
claimed Patrick lat that time ana at all
times well knew, and the said location in
ured wholly to the benefit of Sophia Felix,
although she had no knowledge that Patrick
had procured the possession of the scrip or
that lac had located tho same TS,ey claim,
that Patrick, IN securing possession of tho
scrip, procured the same with the intent TO
appropriate it to his own use and defraud
Sophia Felix out of il. That November 81,
1861, Patrick secured the two blank papers
above mentioned, and "shortly after procur-
ing the same caused the said pretended
power of attorney to be filed out with de-
scriptioh of Sophia Felix scrip and caused
to be written in said power of attorney tho
name of William Ruth as the person having
authority to execute the same and to convey
and sell the property. An in furtherance Of
the scheme TO secure the property Patrick
also caused 20 be filed out pretended quit
claim deed purporting to be conveyance
by Sophia and David CARMEL of the
property" Prior to this 1t is claimed
that Patrick had attempted to acquire
title to the disputed property by
pre- emption, but failed. The plaintiffs ask
that all parties holding possession of this now
valuable land, do surrender the same to the
plaintiffs. They have formidable array of
talent on their side. being represented by
General j. G. Gown and Charles Ogden, Of
Omaha, J. II. Parsons, of Birmingham. Ala,
and Shipman, Barlow, Larvegue s. Choatc,
of New York city.