The Portland daily press., 1892-08-19
OLD PARK STREET CHURCH.
Shall the Heirs of VIM. e. Greeley Have
Third of the Purchase Money?

The vicissitudes of the old Park street
Unitarian church we're the subject of
proceedings before Judge Nelson in the
United States Circuit Court yesterday
morning. January 1st, 1890, the Second
Unitarian Society, having ceased to wor-
ship in the building, turned the edifice
over to the First Presbyterian church
with the arrangement that the latter
church should ultimately pay $500 for
the building. Now Josephine F. Grant
of Cambridge, daughter of William E.
Greedy, formerly o. Portland and later
of Boston, together with others as heirs
of William E. Greel y, come forward
and claim that one-third of this sum be-
longs to them under an old claim which
Mr.. Greedy held on the church.
The old church was originally occu-
pied by the Methodists, but for some rea-
son that denomination gave it up. There
had been little trouble in the First Par
ish church about that time, and the Sec
ond Unitarian church was about being
established.
Then, in 1885, the Second Unitarian
society was organized, and the land and
church now in question were conveyed
by Lemuel Gooding and others to Enoch
Paine, Charles Mussey and Samuel Win
ter. In 1885 Paine and Mussey quit
los, Il !, ff%
the Unitarian society. But Samuel Win
ter, who became insolvent and demented
and finally drowned himself in the Ken
nebec river in September, 1885, did not
convey his third. tits this third that
has continued to make trouble for, vari-
Gus times for fifty years.
Winters third portion went into the
hands of his administrator, and in 1887
as result of equity proceedings in the
Maine Supreme Court, the Second Uni
tartan society acquired the right to take
the Winter third on payment of $1,000 to
his estate. S 1905
The church does not seem to have been
able or willing to pay this $1,000, although
William E. Greedy as member of the
parish committee apparently was COM,
missioned to buy the third.
But July LIST, 1874, Greedy did pur-
chase the third, not for $1,000 but for
1924. There is dispute as to the circum-
stances of this purchase. On the side of
the church it was claimed that he made
the purchase as an agent of the church,
and was bound to turn it over for 1924.
Greedy, on the other hand, did not adj
nit this, and demanded for the third
$1,000, the full value as acquired and held
by Winter.
The church wouldn't pay this, and the
matter dragged along for two years.
When Greedy was about to remove to
Boston, in 1s46, he sold his third to the
church for the 1924 with the condition in
the deed that if ever the society or their
successors shouid be unable to use the
same for Unitarian church the deed
should be revoked and the property
should revert to himself or heirs. The
language of this condition was plain and,
explicit.
Mrs. Grant and others, as the heirs of
Greedy. now come forward and claim
the third on the ground that the condi-
ton has been broken.
The society, on the other hand, claim
that the conditions of the will are full
filed if third of the purchase price
shall be devoted to Unitarian purposes.
E. NJ. Rand, ESQ.,, appeared for Mrs.
Grant and Judge Symonds and Thomas
Talbot, ESQ.,, for the Second Unitarian
society. The case was argued yesterday.