The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-06-21
Paying Taxes for a Title to Vigin-
tillianth Part Of Land.
The Great Competition Among Buyers
Causes Fearful Cuts In Real Estate In
numbered by Taxes - Considerable
Property sold-How It Ii Done.

County Treasurer Adams has been
selling considerable property situated
in La Sale county at tax sale during
the past two days. Every year the
treasurer or county clerk conducts
this auction and all so desiring can
bid in piece OF property-that is, nay
the taxes and get tax deed to the
premises. The taxpayer can redeem
the property by paying premium or
% per cent. and here is where the men
who make a business OF buying up
titles get their money.
The sale which closed yesterday has
been an unusually interesting one and
was marked by hot fighting on the
part Of the purchasers. Among the
principal buyers are Walter Langlois,
b. +. Winders, Sycamore; ID. Nj.
Combs, Maple Grove, and ID. II. Cha
pin, Geneso. About $4,000 worth of
property was sold, the greater part of
which was in town lots. The fight
centered on lots in Ottawa, StreatOr
and Mendoza, and here is where the
cutting was done. Owing to the great
amount OF back taxes there is little
demand for lots in Peru or La Sale.
The competition was so great that
the price OF the privilege of paying the
tax was run down to taking IA title TO
the vigintillianth part of an inch. To
explain, the law is that the rerson
paying all the taxes for the least frac-
tiOn Of the premises in controversy
will be given possession.
Chaplin bought the one tive-hun-
dredth part of lots II, 10, IS, block %,
in Ottawa Center for Sl.55.
Langlois purchased one vigintil-
lianth part of one vigintillianth part
of lot =, block 8, in Ottawa City for
$3.50.
Combs got a one-millionth part of
lot 5, block l, in Aliens addition for
$3.50.
The one billionth part of the east
| inch of lot 9, block 81, was sold TO
Langlois for $500.
LanglOis also bought the octillonth
part of the east inch of lot 10, block
81, La Sale, for $l1.66.
The vigintillianth part of the vigin-
tillianth part of the vigintillianthpart
of lot II, block 10, Ottawa Center, was
sold to Combs for SAIL.
These are but few of the many pur-
chases of this character. No doubt
they will sound absurd to many read
erS, but nevertheless the sales were
as stated. The vigintillianth part of
the distance between the earth and
sun (95, 900, 900 miles, is a space so small
that it cannot be seen with the aid OF
the strongest microscope.
How does this compare with the Wig
intillanth part of an inch !?
The tax purchasers are after every
thing and fight among themselves.
They are the bidders and the law al
lows them to 60 down to the least
fraction of the property just as long as
the tax is paid. They go into the
work and make money and run all
risks of failure to redeem. Last
year LanglOis bought up considerable
amount Of La Sale tax titles and as
the parties have not redeemed he loses
the entire amount of taxes.
1t is not very probable that any Of
the property referred to above Will be
redeemed and in that case the pur-
chaSerS are out the amount of the taxes
and own just that part of the lot pur-
chased. There are few people who feel
disposed to pay such large figures as
Will Dt ilccucu W lcucCll III luOoU VI
the sales cited.
Perhaps these tax title sharks would
not be so greedy in the future II the
tax payers would let the land slide and
not redeem-at any rate they would be
out snug pile, as whatever portion
of land the sharks would get title to
might very readily be inserted in the
corner Of an eye.