Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-25
GOES BACK TO ADAM.
4 San Antonio Lawyer Sees Chance to
Get Slice OF Chicago.
A Failure to Asser. Ownership Until RS Hail
Century Too Ia,e-Frorerty Neglected
TILT Becomes q Gold Mine.
Special 20 the Gazette.

tpeClhl 20 IEe GaZerIe.
SAN ANTONIO, TEX, Dec. Ca very tntTf-
ate and romantic story. involving great deal
Of clever detective work in the inner life of its
character, story that may havs its ultimatum
in the restoration OF = magnificent property 10
heirs OF family scattered widely in Texas.
has just ripened at She hands OF
Robert L. summerin. Esq, of this city. The
immense amount OF property involved in tho
matter lends interest to the inhabitants OF one
of the largest cities OF the Union For more
than wear Mr.. Summerlin has been at WORK IN
the matter OF locating the descendants OF n mar
rage union OF nearly a hundred years ago and
only yesterday was
THE LAST LINK
binding the chain OF evIielCe comp leted. Tho
story is a long one ir details and many OF the
participants In It are long since but handful Of
dust bat the tie between the present and this
half forgotten past has been traced and in out
line - as FOL ows:
In the yeIr 1891 Fort Dearborn, on the present
site OF Chicago, was founded by the militia v
government of the United states. At this ti'I5
It was simply 2 trading post aside from thS
troops to occupy the fort was Col HALF
day of the United States army, who put ii
command. Al the time the Pottawattomies had
possession of many square miles Of territory
surrounding the fort, and hare. about the year
1870 Col. Halliday married one Of the daughters
of one of the
of the tribe. The issue OF this union was two
sons and two daughters. but both of the sons
womanhood, one of them marrying physician
Whose name is not given for reasons, while the
other married a CO.. John Jamisou. also
of he regular army stationed u
Fort Dearborn. The fruit OF this first marriage
is daughter, an old maid still ilving in u DIS
tant part of the United states, while of the latter
marriage there were two offs springs, HafTiettS
and Louis r. Jlmi5on. Ii is of this branch OF
the family that the story has TO deal. Col. Hal
liday did not survive his wife, who lived to
ripe Old age. cherishinC all of the
PREJUDICEs OF HER RACE.
Louis T. Jamson, tine grandson. grow to
manhood, and on August -, 1856. was married
to a French Indian woman, the daughter of
post-t trailer. About the same time the daughter
Harriettc was married 70 john Duerest and re-
moved soon afterwards to Nacogdoches county.
Tex, then part of the republic Of Mexico.
There one child born to the wife OF
Capt Jamison. daughter, Gnd shortly
afterwards the wife died This in 1876. Two
years later Capt. Jamison was married TO a New
York lady ana within the year was ordered TO a
station IN Florida. He was transferred several
times, snd about the year 1851 was stationed ut
Rio Grsnde city in Texas. The daughter in the
meantime had grown up and was married TO
Col. n Gussett, now prominent citizen OF
Corpus Christi. While this daughter was yet 3
young woman the old Indian grandmother died
and left her by will
THE ESTATE
teft her rs the widow of Col. Halliday. which
consisted of large amount of land situated now
in the heart OF Chicago. Mrs. Gussett died in
1854, leaving no issue
In ISL Capt, IS he was then, Maj. Jami-
son separated from his second wife, who;
accompanied by little nece, called
Julia, LEFT by water for Ba ,snni,
where she died. Maj. Jamison was in the
meantime continued in the service at Rio Grands
City, where i'll 1886 he too died in poor circum-
stances. He had previously become involved in
financial troubles which had oppressed him for
a numoer of years before his death 1t was at
the time Of Mai. Jamison's death that the prop
erty in Chicago first began
To ASSUME A VALUE
sufficient for the heirs to inquire after 1t, and
soon aferward law 6rIn, styled Ogdan &
Bro. n. employed to look after it, pay taxes
and render Al account OF it in general This
firm was continued IN that capacity until the
breaking cut OF the war, which threw every
thing INFO state of chaos. Just what occurred
during that period is not developed by
Mr.. Snmmerlin. About the close of the war,
however. Mr.. Gussett, the sole surviving heir OF
the one branch of the family, died, and the re-
port circulated that the Chicago property
had been sold and resold for taxes. The Duerest
family had been lost to sight on the death of the
mother, though seven children were the fruit of
the union, and thus
THE MATTER LAY DORMANT
until a little more than one year ago. In the
fall OF 1889 MI Summerlin was in Corpus
Christi, and being an oid-time friend of Col
Gussett was seated in his Office one day chatting
when q stranger entered The room. The man
was an emissary OF n Chicago legal firm. and his
mission was to obtain the signature OF Col. Gus
sett to certain deeds OF release to Chicago prop
erty, the title of which under n
cloud. This recalled the story to
the colonel, who related what he knew of this
old cl inns of the iap:iIy to Chicago property,
and from this Mr. Summerln got his clew.
Since that time he has been interchangeable in the
search for the heirs to the property, all of whom
hare been located and from whom he mas OBJ
tanned full power of attorney 20 act as he NAV
fit in an attempt to regain possession OF the
property, with the exception OF
THE MAIDEN HEIR,
who has eleyraphed that she has forwarded
power of attorney by mail. The names of the
heirs as follows: Biuuo and HOratioy Duer-
est of Leon county, John Duerest of Tyler. j.
W. Blake and Hattie Moss OF Limestone county,
John S. Duerest of Kmball county, Simon and
Ella BatemaD of Leon county, and j. a.
AND Louis Hodkins Of Dallas county. and James
Orion. The child, Julia, who left
with the second wife OF Maj. Jamison
from Rio Grande City caused much trouble. II
was thought she daughter by the second
marriage, and in consequence the next Of kin.
The journey taken by the two was traced from
Baltimore westward to Dubuque, Keokuk, and
finally 20 Detroit, where the child died in IS 5.
Mr. Summerlin leaves for Chicago on Christmas
day. He conservatIvev estimates the value Of the
property involved at so, 0OO 900. II comprises .
portion OF Hennepin park.