The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-29
MISS cULvER's BIG ESTATE.
Not "A Great DeaI-o of IL Was Accumu-
lated i'm savannah.

lated i'm savannah.
The recent gift OF 100000 TO the Chi
cago University by Miss Helen Culver.
revives interest in the property Of the late
Charles j. Hull in and around Savannah,
whose estate Miss Culver represents.
Mr.. HulFs first purchase OF Chatham
county land was in 1863. During that year
he bought five city lots, west of West
Broad street, and at an average cost of
$20 each, and 2O5 acres of land outside of
the city, at an average cost of Sl33 per
acre. The following shows with exact
ness all his investments in Chatham
county:
1ses-Fiye city lots. s1.O2O; 2O5 acres of
IS76.Five city lots. sl.5i4; $50 acres of
IS7i.Four city lots. 500; s7s acres of
land, S25,947.
-Twenty-one city lots. sl4,9sl; six
acres of land, s., 40.
lS74-Twenty-fve city lots, $S.575.
lSi5-Seven city lots, $500
1S0--Four city lots, sos; one lot repur-
chased SO.
1S7S-Six city lots, $50.
1S9-One city lot, 500.
1SSO-Five city lots, ST. 200.
1SSl-Nine city lots, $3.50, total invest
The records show sixty-two deeds con-
veying lands to Mr.. Hull, which he and
ms successor, Miss Culver, have made
676 deeds to purchasers of the subdivis-
ion, at prices ranging from SO to $500 per
lot
OF the 1857 acres of county lands bought
by Mr.. Hull, the estate still holds 1916
acres, a portion of which, by accretions
of interests to the original cost, must
stand at pretty high figure upon the
books.
As an illustration, a tract of seventy
two and a half acres purchased in'~1S69
at SS44 per acre. with interest computed
I a nor 1.l
annually only, the actual value of this
land to-day should be $1,997. 60 per acre,
ana II the taxes paid during these TWEEN
ty-SlX years with interest upon them, are
| added, it will be found that these lands
every square foot of which is still owned
by the estate, represent an actual cost of
about $2,aO per acre-more than it would
bring to-day if placed upon the market.
TO all this should be added the office ex-
penSeS IN Savannah during twenty-siX
years. averaging, no doubt 81 800 per year
or about 100000, if interest for the aver
age time, even without compromising, is
allowed upon the expenditures. These
various drawbacks should be deducted
from the supposed profits. All things
considered IL may well be assumed that
Mr.. HUI had no very large bonanza in
MS chatham county investments.
Mr.. Isaac Beckett prepared for the
Morning News, from his abstracts of Chat
nam county land titles. the statistics upon
which the foregoing is based: During his
compilation OF the abstracts of titles, COW
ering period of over fifteen years, and
in the Investigation of individual titles,
Mr.. Beckett gathered a large fund of
knowledge regarding the methods of do
ing business pursued by Mr.. Hull. He
says that while he was shrewd careful
business man, he was exceedingly gener-
Gus in his dealings with parties who
bought his lands, colored, as well as white;
that he was, in fact, a phianthropiSt, and
although he made profits upon his invest
ments, no doubt he was far more moderate
in that respect than a great many who,
in more recent years, adopted his system
of selling upon the instalment plan.
Hundreds of people now own homes who
would still be toiling along, paying rent to
Others were ii not for the easy pay
ment" plan introduced here by Mr.. Hull.
He carried scores of people along for eight
and ten years, and in few instances,
fifteen years, without collecting even the
whole of the interest which was due to
him. Although, in the meantime they had
erected valuable improvements, and he
might, with great profit to himself, have
sold them out.
During the panic which followed the
yellow fever epidemic of 1876 the conduct
of Mr.. Hull, Mr.. Beckett says, was spe-
cially noticeable. One instance which he
was personally cognizant of serves to
illustrate the character of the man. Cy-
rus Bradwell, a worthy colored man, who
was well-known to the older readers of
the Morning News as sexton of the indie
pendent Presbyterian church during the
years preceding the great epidemic, pur-
chased two of Mr.. Hull's lots near Laurel
Grove cemetery. on the monthly install
dwelling. He died during the epidemic,
leaving a wife and several small children
with his lots only partially paid for.
Soon after his death all the improve
ments, which were without any insur-
ance, were destroyed by fire. Mr.. Hull,
who had it absolutely in his power to re-
enter the lots without payment of a dol
lar, gave the widow and little children
other property, free of all membranes,
fully equal in value to the purchase money
that had been paid.
Mr.. Hull, instead Of selling OUT de-
linquent purchasers, bore with them I'M
til it became evident that there was not
even the disposition to meet their obliga-
tions, and this was in a great many in
stances mistaken kindness. Had he in
sisted upon a literal compliance with the
contracts, fewer delinquents would have
appeared upon his books.
Miss Culver, who was niece of the
late Mr.. Hull, and is sole legatee under
his will, has, since his death, pursued
the same liberal policy. During his life
time she was his confidential secretary
and assistant, and no doubt is endeavor-
ing to carry out his ideas of conducting
business.