Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-29
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH,

IsfkClAL TELEGRAM TO THE DlePATCH.l
DULUTH, MINI, June 28.-Frederick d.
Prentice, New York millionaire, has been
awarded possession of half of Duluth by
Judge Parish, of the Circuit Court, at Ash
land, Wis. The property is valued at over
5000, 900. The history of the case is a
most interesting one. Mr.. Prentice, who
was born in Ohio 65 years ago, and made his
first money in numbering, visited 80 years
ago the Lake Superior copper mines for
the purpose of inspecting them with view to
investment
Ashland and Duluth had no existence then,
beyond the latter's having small Indian SET
tlement but Mr., Prentice saw their eligibility
for becoming centers of population, and made
t. heavy purchases of land in what is now the
best portion of Asland and the undivided half
OF l60 acres in Duluth. which is now In litiga-
non, paying for the latter something like g 900.
He acquired it from one Benjamin Armstrong,
white man, who received it as q dover of his
wife, daughter of the Chippewa Indian Chief
Buffalo, to whom the United States issued a
patent for section of land, or $40 acres, in
what had formerly been the Chippewa reserva-
tion.
AN INDIAN MAIDEN'S DowRY.
A quarter of this section, or 100 acres, was
given to the chiefs daughter in his distribution
of his land among his children. Shaw-Braw-
Skung (Armstrong's Indian name) after SELL
ing an undivided half of this to Mr.. Prentice
resold it to John NJ. Gilman, and the land in
controversy is now held under deeds from the
latter. MIR. Prentice does not seem to have
paid much attention to the course of events
and it was only three years ago that he instl-
tuted suit to recover his property.
The case was decided against him in the
United States Court sitting at st. Paul,
and before he took an appeal the liml-
tation of time allowed for that
however. he was able to resume the case de
novo by paying large costs. This was a year
ago. Since then he has been trying to bring the
case to trial. A time has been set on four
different occasions. but the defendants have in
each instance succeeded in securing postpone
ment
The chief and most importantof the defend
ants is the Northern Pacific Railway, whose ex-
tensive elevators and docks at Duluth are stu
ated on the land claimed by Mr.. Prentice, and
against whom he has a suit for ejectment
pending.
AN IMMENSE SUM.
Howell Smith, Mr.. Prentice's confidential
man. says the value of the property claimed is
nearer SIS, 900 than S5,O0O,OO0 Mr.. Prentice
is the manager of the Prentice Brown Stone
Company, of Wisconsin, owning several thou
sand acres of brown Stone quarries.
Mr.. Smith was surprised when shown the
dispatch, for, he said, he had not been expect
ing OeclslOn SO soon. lie naQ received a let
ter from Mr.. Prentice, dated the I'D instant,
in which it was stated that the trial had been
postponed on the 18th, when it was to have
taken place, until tine nextsession of the court,
some months hence
Some action, however. he was sure must
have taken place, and rs the dispatch did not
say that there mad been trial, he inferred
that a compromise had been arrived at that
the defendants had confessed Judgment, and
that judgment had then been entered against
them, preparatory to the carrying out of the
terms of the compromise.