Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-28

| the same day, indicating a turn" much more
| rapid than is usual even in the liveliest real
| estate booms. In all the cases referred to,
save one, the consideration named in the deed
| given by the original owner is nominal. while
| in that by which the property is transferred to
the District the true amount paid by the Dis
| trict is named. The one exception is the
record of the transfer of the lots on 5th street,
| between G and L streets southeast, purchased
| for a school site. The record shows that
| August %, 1888, George Francis Dawson trans
| ferred the property to James A. Taylor for
S327o, and on the same day James A. Taylor
| transferred the property to the District Com
missioners for $4,000. The difference of 1922,
| it is presumed, went into the pockets of the
| middleman. The STAR reporter made inquiry
concerning several of these sales where the
recorded consideration received by the original
owner was nominal and the results showed that
the commissioners were paying considerably
more than the owners asked or received and
| that the District was the loser to that extent.
TRANSACTION ON STREET.
There is an interesting history connected
| with the sale of the lots on r street near 18th
street to the Commissioners. These lots were
sold by the owner to an agent for 81. 40 per
square foot. 1t was not known at the time of
| the transaction that the District Commissioners
were the purchasers. On the day that the deed
was recorded however. the records showed
| that the property had been transferred to the
Commissioners of the District and both deeds
appeared on the records. 1t was found, how
ever, that the consideration named in the deed
to the Commissioners amounted to ten cents
| more on the square foot than the price OBJ
tanned by the owner. The latter sold the prop
erty for S1.4O per square foot and on the same
day that the deed was recorded another deed
was placed on record transferring precisely the
same property to the Commissioners for S1.50
per square foot. On the total amount involved
in fhnf frar %
the foot netted to the middleman the handsome
profit of S1,100
The agent who purchased this property from
the owner was Charles Early and his client was
ex-Commissioner West In the deed transfer
ring the property Mr.. Vests name does not
appear, but that of Benjamin Crane, young
clerk in private banking house, appears as
purchaser, and the transfer to the District
Commissioners is made ostensibly by Mr..
Crane.
THE POLICE STATION SITE.
One notable case was the purchase of the
site for the new police station on 9th street
northeast. The record shows that August 7
last Daniel s. Pickrell transferred to the Com
missioners of the District for 81 400, lots 49, 80
and "a, square 936. On the same day Dennis
Connell and Lawrence Cavanaugh, trustees of
the District real estate investment company,
transferred the same property to Pickrell, con-
slderation nominal, When The STAR reporter
iuquItu luto tuls trdubdctlOn ne ODUalneQ q
mewhat interesting story. Daniel 8. Pickrell,
who is shown by the record to have purchased
the property from the investment company
never appeared in the transaction in person
MIR. John F. Cox was the person known in the
transaction to the representatives, of the in
vestment company. The price agreed upon was
3712 cents foot This was the price that had
been advertised by the association, and was
marked on the plats Of property they had for
sale. Notwithstanding this fact the District
appears to have paid, according to the record,
about As cents foot When the transaction
was complete, Mr. Cox brought to the agents of
the associption the check OF the District Com
missioners, payable to Mr.. Pickrell, for 81. 400,
and endorsed to the agents of the association.
The agents accepted the check and gave
change. That is, they returned to Mr.. Cox
their own check for the difference between the
price received by the owner and the price paid
by the District. This check amounted to
S323.4. Thirty-two dollars of this sum. how
ever, was half of the agents commission, for
MIR. Cox required them to divide their commits
sion of S64 with him. The remainder repre-
sented the handsome profit on a transaction in
which no capital was invested, the business
having been done entirely on the Commits
sioner's check.
PARTICULARS OF THE PURCHASE.
Mr.. Weller, of the firm of Weller & Re-
petit, the real estate dealers, who represented
the investment company, said in response to an
inquiry by The STAR reporter that information
he had led him to believe that Mr.. Cox was
acting for the Commissioners. When it was
known that the Commissioners would have
money to expend in East Washington for sites,
he said he went to Mr.. Wheatley, as the repre-
sentative OF large amount Of property in
that section, and said that when the time came
he would like to sell the Commissioners
some property. Mr.. Wheatley promised to re-
member the matter. Mr.. Weller then left the
city, and, as he told The STAB reporter, upon
his return went to Mr.. Wheatley again, as the
appropriation bill had passed, and reminded
him OF his promise. Mr.. Wheatley then asked
him II Cox had not been to see him. Mr.. We'll
ler said he had, but he did not know that Cox
represented the Commissioners. Mr.. Wheatley
replied that Cox was buying for the Commits
sioners. MIR. Weller said further to The STAR
reporter that Mr. Wheatley told him the Com
missioners bought in that way, because if they
went openly to purchase ground the prices
would be put up. MIR. Weller remarked that
in his case no such thing would have happened
because the prices were put down on their
books and bulletin boards where any one could
see them at any time. He mentioned, he says,
in this conversation that the price of the
ground in question was 3715 cents, which was
the actual price received by the owner of the
property.
THE ARTHUR PLACE SITE.
Mr.. John F. Cox, who figured in the police
station site transaction, also assisted the Com
missioners to purchase the site for school
house in Arthur Place. Here Mr.. Chas. W.
Baldwin appeared in the deeds as the middle
man. The original owner was the Washington
and Georgetown railroad company, and the
company received the whole amount paid by
the Commissioners, SIC, sos. MIR. Cox received
only half OF the agents commission.
MR.. WEST BUYS ANOTHER SITE.
Another transaction in which ex-Commis-
sioner West appeared was the sale of Mr.. Geo.
Francis Dawsons property on 5th street, be-
tween G and I southeast, to the District, or
rather to James A. Taylor. for a school SITE
This is the one in which the true consideration
received by Mr.. Dawson ($3,27S) was named in
the deed given by him. The District paid
1900 for the property. Mr.. Taylor did not
appear in person in the transaction, but ex-
Commissioner West did. When Mr.. West came
to settle he demanded half of the agents COM
mission, but the agents refused outright to
pay this. The middle man had to be contented
with only $722. Mr.. Dawson and his agents
insisted on putting the true consideration in
the deed given by him, and the actual figures
stand in close juxtaposition on the record
book.
SAID TO BE NyUDIcIoUs.
Mr.. Dawson, who Is well-known resident Of
Capitol Bill, in speaking to STAR reporter Of
the sale Of bis property, said that the face Of
the record, IL 1t showed nothing else, indicated
an injudicious method Of purchasing property
for the District. He believed the proper way
was for the Commissioners to invite proposals
from property-owners in the section where q
site was required In that way, he believed,
the Commissioners would secure property at