The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-06
THIRTY-FIVE SUITSFILED
THE BIG FIGHT FOR THE PRENDER-
CAST PROPERTY ON

Gwinnett ID Anderson in 1.-THE
Parties Against Whom Suits Have
Been Entered-The Probable Lines
of Defense-The Value of the Prop
erty Involved.
Thirty-five suits have been fled in the
superior court by the Millen heirs for the
recovery of the pr perty sold by Executor
Grief Linch to Michael Preadergas. forty
two years ago. Norwood e. Cronk and r.
r. Richards, Esq, of this city, have been
retained to assist Attorney Preston in the
prosecution Of the claim.
Only about half the suits have been filed
80 far, and it will be several days before
they are all in. The property claimed by
the plaintiffs is from Gwinnett street to
Second street, and from the east side OF
Drayton TO Habersham, taking Ia some OF
the handsomsst residences 10 the city. " Is
understood that Norwood & Cronk and X.
R. Richards, Esq, took the case with the
understanding that their heirs viii not
modest their clients, that is, those people
upon whose titles they passed..
The heirs have agreed. If successful, to
give a Quit claim deed 10 the military to the
psrede ground and to the city for all streets
which have been cut through the tract.
This let's the city out as party defendant TO
the suit.
THE PARTIES SUED SO FAR
The following are the names of the parties
against whom suits had been filed up TO last
night:
Mary A. Waring and P. Aston Waring,
executors estate DR.. Waring, ct al; Mary
A. Prendergast, individually and as execu-
tor. ct al. ?. Aston Warning. claimant, and
II. II. Moore, tenant i'll possession; Johu II.
Cayanaugh, William II. Coburn, W. T.
Leopold, Mary Trapani, William Rogers,
Capt. Jordan F. Brooks, Sarah F. Cheat
ham. Charles W. Howard. Clarence E.
BFoughton, John W. Chandler, Rachel
Flint, George N. d. Riley. Marga-
ret McQ1ade, George F. King,
Annie J. Warning, DR.. II. II. Groth, Alex
II. Rain. John Neill, Col. II. S. Hanes, l..
c. Strong. Fanny 3. Deve; eaux, Horace z.
Smart, the Home Building Company,
George c. Hummel, Thomas II. Theus and
Daniel A. Tuberdy. f. F. Bryan. admin
istrator of the estate of T. G. Bryan; Henry
c. Harden, Samuel E. Dahl, George Med.
Nathan. Catherine j. Moore, George r.
King and George t. Cam, J. F. LsFar, NJ
L. Exley, trustees, etc. g. NJ. RIVALS, and
9. NJ Ryals, trustee; Theodore Z. and c.
T. Broughton, Chatham Real Estate and
Improvement Company, Excelsior Loan
Company and George +. King.
SOME OF THE PROPERTY INVOLVED
The property over which the litigation
hal begun is among the most valuable in
tbs southern part OF the city. COL II. s.
Haines, DR.. Hummel's, T. N. Theus' and
joan Neills residences on Drayton street
are In the list Of property for which suit
was entered yesterday. The suits for tho
remainder of the Drayton street property
will probably lie fled this week
The papers filed in the court are
volumnous, and cover many pages of
description and detail concerning the case.
1t Is difficult TO approximate the amount
involved by the suits 50 far entered, but il
isin the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
TIE LINE OF DEFENSE.
Mr.. Charles #. Prendergast has several
lines of defense, the principal of which is
that Grief Llnch bad full authority to dis
pose OF the property. Mary Sauls Milen
and Jacob Waldburg, the original trustees
for Mrs. Millen, had the power to sell the
property to any person at any price they
might agrees upon. Upon their own applica-
tion and by the consent of Mrs. Millen they
we're discharged as trustees and Grief Linch
was appointed to succeed them by Judge
Meriwether OF jasper county at a regular
term Of court, with all the powers, rights and
privileges OF hts predecessors. II is also
claimed that Linch was legally authorized
10 dispose OF the property by the ordinary
OF Jasper county.
THE PROPERTY sUED FOR.
The property involved in the suit amounts
In ell to about 100 lots. One of the tracts
sued for Is the western one-third of Lee and
Warning wards, and range of lots in White
ward, extending from Anderson to Gwiu-
nett streets 1t covers all the lots along
both sides Of Habersham street, between
has gkra b. -
and little less than $50 feet east of Haber-
sham, in all about 46 lots
Another is the Frndergast track. now
known as part OF Reppard and Cum ming
wards, south OF Anderson street, contain
Ing altogether about sixty lots,
TIE remaining lots covered by the suits
are part of a strip OF the eastern portion OF
what was once known as the ninth section
OF Cuthbert ward, being three lots, each
about twenty-five feet wide, between New
Houston street and Bolton street lane, Just
east OF Drayton street.
PART OF THE TRACT NOT SUED FOR.
A MORNING News reporter saw Isaac
Beckett, Esq, compiler of Beckett's alb
stracts OF titles, and who is one OF the best
posted men on titles in Savannah last night,
In regard to the suits.
All this property, Mr. Beckett says,
except, perhaps, about eight lots, which the
owners got either through the Title Guaran-
antee and Loan Company, or the titles to
which were passed by its attorney, is in
cluded in the suits brought These lots.
under contract made by Mr. Beckeut
attorney for this company, with the claim
ants, Is specially released from all claims by
the Millen heirs, and is not sued for.
As indicating the wonderful increase ia
the value OF Savannah real estate during
the present century. Mr. Beckett turned 20
his books and quoted the prices for which
property sold.
PRICES THEN AND NOW.
The land in Reppard and Cumming wards,
known as the Prendergast property, was
sold in 1885 for 800, in 1887 for $6lO, and in
1S49 the late MIR. Prendergast bought it from
the trustee OF the Millen family for $500
The lots have been recently sold at prices
ranging from $1,000 to So, 00C each, six or
seven Of them having been disposed of at
these figures.
The Waring track was sold in 1918 for
about 81 500; in 1922 for $500, in 1881 for
$3.50, and ia 1913 for $780, In 1859 the late
Hiram Roberts bought it from Mr. Prem
dergast Tor 81, 500, and 10 1866 sold it to Dr.
Warning for s., 400 One piece OF vacant
land, thirty feet on Habersham street, with a
depth of seventy feet was sold few days
ago for 81, 500, and 5000 10 not an unusual
price for full corner lots on Habersham
street.
This tract has bsen greatly improved
many fine residences having been erected
npon it in recent years.
DANFORTH SEEKING PARDON.