St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-19
Great Realty Contest Inaugu-
rated in the Ramsey County
District Court.
Title Assailed Of One Hundred
Acres Of st. Paul's Best
Property.
Fabulous Sums of Money Are
JeopardiZed by Over One
Hundred Actions.
Facts Attending the Suits
Date Back to the Early
Days Of the City.

One of the most important legal con,
tests to engage the attention of the
Ramsey county bar is that which was
yesterday inaugurated in the district
court by MessTs. Davis, Kellogg 3
Severance. The series OF suits-thera
are lis In all-is brought to quiet title
to 100 acres of land in the best resi-
dence part Of the city of st. Paul. Il
is this fact which gives important sig.
nificance 70 the litigation. 1t is not
only that a great principle of law is as
stake, but fabulous sum OF money
value in real estate is being leopard.
lied. The property in dispute
involves lands tying between Mar
shall avenue and Charles street.
centering on Farrlngton avenue.
The territory IN dispute is divided IN
into lots and blocks. upon which there
are numerous valuable residences. a
Polish Catholic chnrch, and business
establishments, estimated to be worth
s., ,0e0.00e.
A test case will be taken. in which all
OF the other occupants and owners will
unite with Augustus <. Barnum ia con-
testing the title between him and the
defendants, John p. Dunn and wife,
William N. Dunn and wife, Isaac Dunn
and wife, Preciila Dunleyy and nus.
band, and Josephine A. Carter.
The land is embraced in what ara
known as Warren & Rice's addition.
Chambers addition and Robertson %
Van Etten's addition to the city of St.
Paul. Whilst the same question will be
decided in test case, yet as stated. 1l5
suits have been begun. each of which
recites the following facts: In 1850
Peter POnein owned military land
warrant. which entitled him to enter
160 acres of land of the public domain
of the United States not otherwise an
proprlated. He applied to the Office os
the Saltwater land district for the terri
tory of Minnesota, and was.
granted a certificate of location for
the lands now in dispute, which are. as
stated, now part of the city of ST.,
Paul. and for which he paid $50. On
March %, 1850, POncin sold the lands to
Antoine Pepin for $50. and gave deed
for the same. On March %, 1850. Pepin
sold to Aipheus II. French for 500 what
was claimed 70 be the whole of said
lands. On April 10. of the same wear.
French entered into an agreement
to sell the lands to Louis C. Elfelt and
Charles D. Elicit, and deed was madS
Elfelts, but portion of the lands was
left out of the description in the deed as
recorded. Another deed, made by
French to the Elfelts, contained a de-
seription of all the land. On March 10.
1852, the commissioners of the general
land Office Cancelled the warrant loeat-
ing the land by Poncin. In 1854 con-
gresS passed an act authorizing a patent
to issue in the name of Ponein, who
originally located the land, and reinstat-
ing title in him and those who claimed
title to the land through him. The pat
ent was made out to Poncin July 8,
1855. The Elfelts sold the lands to other
parties, and it was finally plated and
laid out into additions under the names
mentioned. The defendants dispute
the title of the Elfelts, and claim inter
est in the numerous lots of the several
additions.
The test of title thereto will involve a
hotly contested litigation, ending in a
court of last resort, as eminent counsel
are engaged. The general public will
be interested in the proceedings be-
cause of their magnitude in value and
the numerous contestants