Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-07
Gilman's Drug Store, az, ss1s s'w:
THE BLoDGEr CLAIM AGAIN.
Ii is Brought Up by an Agreement
Filed With the Recorder.

Ii is Brought Up by an Agreement
Filed With the Recorder.
Papers have been filed with the recorder
of deeds embracing an agreement whereby
Lorin Blodget agrees to sell to Stephen
A. Dutton the south half Of square 132, for
S411,OOO; square 1863, for 1851 $50; square
S66. for 44l.UU, and all land conveyed to
stephen Blcdget, Jr., during the Year, lISl
ana 1879 which is laid down in the sched-
ule of division, with the Commissioners, for
81.
The action brings to public notice again
the famous Blodget claim, which has
been pending before the courts in various
forms for years. 1t made quite scare
among property holders ten or twelve years
ago, but now II can be mentioned without
causing any unpleasant emotions, as those
interested in the property covered by the
claims seem to have been satisfied that
there Is no real cause for alarm.
An old tract Of land called Jamaica"
consisting of 4e4 acres. came into the pos
session of Samuel Blodset by deed from
Philip Richard Fendall, dated January L.,
1872. This deed, for a consideration of ~
SO Mexican silver dollars. passed the title
to Blodget in fee. subject to an agreement
made by former owner, dated March
30, 1871, and afterward consented to by
Blodget that this land. or any part there
of. should be used for the federal city,"
and when laid of into lots, squares and
streets, the lots should be divided between
the United States and the original propri-
etor.
The city limits. as fixed by the original
surveys, included all of jamaica except
ahou. 80 acres, now embraced in lie Droit
Park.
When the subdivision of city lots was
made between Blodget and the United
States commissioners a large number of
lots were allotted to Blodget. the most Of
them within the lines of the Jamaica"
tract, but small number lying outside
of the lines. In the meantime. Mr.. Blodget
had acquired title to other lots in Wash
iigton and Georgetown, including certain
lots in square 6SS, now embraced in the
Capitol grounds. Thus Mr.. Blodget's inter-
est, I'm 1874, consisted OF the ground allotted
to him in the division mentioned, and not
conveyed by him, the few lots in the city
and Georgetown otherwise acquired, and
that part of jamaica now included in lie
Droit Park.
BY deed of mortgage, dated January IS.
1874, and recorded April % 1894. Samuel
Plodget conveyed to Thomas johnson and
Thomas Peter all his real estate in the
District. then called the territory of Co.
lumbia. to secure the payment of prizes in
a certain lottery scheme. Other deeds and
mortgages were subsequently made, the
lottery drawing came off, and the capital
prize was claimed by Robert S. Buckley of
Philadelphia, Pa. The prize was not paid
and Mr.. Buckley brought suit in Pennsyl-
vania and obtained Judgment against
Blodget. Mr.. Buckley then brought suit in
the District of Columbia October. 1892, to
foreclose the mortgage to johnson and
Peter and on October 4, 1905, decree was
passed under which Il large amount of
property sold. These sales were final
ly ratified by the court in June, 1906 and
subsequently the property sold was convey
ed to the purchaser by the trustee appoint
ed in the cause.
The proceeds of this sale not being sutfi-
cient to satisfy Mr.. Bickley's Judgment,
supplemental bill was filed and on Novem-
be- 5, 1913, further sales were decreed,
which were afterward made. ratified by the
court. and the property conveyed to the
purchasers.
The property sold and conveyed under
these DEGREES included, it is said all of
Blodgets land i'm the District except very
few lots which were not mentioned in the
proceedings were not regularly disposed
of. The original papers relating to the sup
Elemental proceedings are lost and they
were not recorded in the chancery records
The docket entries, however, appear, ard
very full recitals of the proceedings made
in the deeds of conveyance mat
ter of record
With these conveyances, ii is claimed
ended the interest of Samuel Blodget, and
the land mentioned therein has been con-
veyed, divided and subdivided until il is
now distributed among thousands of own
erS.
After the sales under the aforementioned
DEGREES no definite claim appears to have
beer made by either BlOdget or his de-
scendants to any title interest in the
property until 1857, when the descendants
began to make deeds and contracts among
themselves and their agents. including
therein. apparently, all the property that
Samuel Blodget ever owned in the District
of Columbia. Suits were brought against
various persons. and a stock company was
forTed in Philadelphia to recover the
"Blodget estate"
The suits were discontinued or dismissed
by the court. The financial institutions in
the District of Columbia that loan money
on real estate attach no importa nee to the
81. of no