Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-15
TEN MILLIONS ARE AT STAKE
Large Blocks of New York
Real Estate Involved.
IN A SUIT TO RECOVER $1,000
Alleged Improper Sale of
Many Properties.
Originally belonging to tho Estate of
William c. Hhinelander, 1t is Now be-
loved They We're Sold Contrary to the
Provisions of His Will-rrcsent Holders
Quaking.

New York, March ia suit will
come up in the April term of the su,
preme court, the outcome of which will
be watched with interest, as it may
affect to a considerable extent some.
thing like $10,000,000 worth of New
York real estate. All of the property
concerned once belonged to the Rhine
lander estate and the greater portion
has passed into other hands.
The plaintiff in the suit is Franz
Chwatal and the defendant George
Schreiner. Some months ago Chwatal
agreed to buy house from Schreincr.
II is located in Nineteenth street, be.
tween First and Second avenues. lie
| placed $1,000 on deposit as evidence OF
good faith, and then employed an attor.
ney to look up the title. Theodore
Baumeister took charge of the work of
research and found that the piece OF
property once belonged to the Rhine
lander estate.
In examining the will of the wealthy
William Rhinelander, who died in 1926,
he found construction of language
which made him believe that the titles
to all real estate disposed of from the
estate of William Rhinelander since his
death arc only clear to the estate itself.
That part of the will which convinced
him in this reads as follows:
THE real estate shall be kept entire,
and no part thereof sold during the
natural lives of my children and then q
natural life Of the longest liver of them,
and not until the youngest person among
such of the issue of my children living
at the time of the death OF the longest
liver shall come to the age of 81 years.
The longest liver of the children of
/ William Rhinelander was found to be
his son, William g., who died June
goth, 1878. The will dictates indirectly
that William q. Rhineander's youngest
child would have to reach the age of 81
years before the real estate could be
sold, and fact is that the most youthful
of his issue will not attain that age
until 1898. ...-..
In 1878 partition suit was brought
in the supreme court which resulted in
division of the real estate, and this, il
is said, was illegal. If the contention
OF Mr.. Chwatal's attorney is correct,
lthinelandcr estate property has been
sold for 10 years in violation of the
intent and the purpose Of the will of the
original testator, Mr.. Chwatal does not
want tho piece of property offered by
Mr.. Schreiner since the apparent defect
in its title has been pointed out to him,
and his suit is for the recovery of the
$1,000 deposit money and release from
the sale.
William Rhinelander's possessions
included almost the whole stretch
bounded by Eighty and Ninety.
third streets and Third avenue and the
East river, and also large pieces in
Chrystie, Canal, Broome, Rivington,
Allen, Cherry, Monroe, William, Park
Row, Spruce, Beach, Washington, West,
Greenwich and host of other streets.
There is no telling how many erstwhile
happy title.holders are quaking to see
the result of Mr.. Chwatal's little suit
for 81 900.