The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-12-17
SELEg7I! lH
FIFTY MILLIONS INVOLVED.

The Heirs of Robert Morris to Sue for "
Vast Tract of Land in New York.
A large number of the heirs of Robert
Morris, the millionaire of the Revolu-
ton and Washington's financial agent
during the darkest struggle for Ameri-
can independence, have decided to bring
an action for the recovery of large
tract of land in the western counties of
New York, said to embrace 1904 900
acres, and estimated to be worth some
thing like $50,000,000 The heirs reside
in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio
and it is the descendants in the latter
state that have taken the initiative in an
effort to recover property of which they
believe the great patriot was fraudulent.
ly dispossessed, and to which they be-
heve they have valid claim as his heirs.
The history of Robert Morris land
purchases in western New York is the
history of the early civilization and set
Element of the counties of Niagara, Erie,
Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegheny
Wyoming, Genesee and Orleans, and
will bring the investigation of the claims
back to the period Immediately succeed
test for independence left Robert Morris
in the possession of vast wealth. In
May, 1891, Mr. Morris acquired the pre-
emption right of Massachusetts, to al
the territory west of the Phelps anG
Gorham purchase in New York, which
was afterward designated the Holland
purchase and the Morris reserve.
Mr.. Morris subsequently extinguishet
the title that the Indians of the six ma
tions had in the lands by paying then
| $165, 0O0 In 1902 he sold to the HOLLAND
company 100000 acres in the COUNTIES
named, reserving for himself tract o
500,000 acres lying between the Phelp
and Gorham purchase and the lands o
the Holland company. Mr.. Morris Sc
cured the Indian title to these lands at
council of the natives held at the "Bil
Tree" which is now in the heart o
Genesee. On a satisfactory treaty being
signed, and the payment made to the In
dams, Mr.. Morris began to put his re
serve 500, 900 acres on the market.
The Phelps and Gorham purchas
consisted of 8 100000 acres of land tina
had been ceded to Massachusetts b.
| New York, and about the same tim
that Mr.. Morris made his purchase Oh
liver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorhau
bought this immense tract for 81 900, 00C
They, too, put their land upon the maj
ket, and of this tract Robert Morris pun
chased at eightpence an acre tract ad
joining his own, comprising 1,204, 90
acres. This is the land in question i
the proceedings about to be institute
by the Morris heirs, To Wilhelm an
Jan Willink and others interested in tn
Holland company Mr.. Morris mortgage
the tract of 100000 acres when i
fortune overlook him, and when for
long time he was confined in debtor
prison.
The Willinks and their associates o
the Holland company took advantage o
the straits to which the speculation ha,
reduced Mr.. Morris, and by the fore
closure of the mortgage acquired flu
title to the land, had it surveyed an
opened land Office for its sale at Bats
via, with Charles Ellicott as their res
dent manager. The greater part of thi
domain was sold up to 1905 to bona fid
purchasers and settlers, and the affair
of the Holland company were wound u
by the Farmers Loan and Trust compa
ny of Buffalo in 45.-Chicago Herald.