The San Francisco call., 1895-12-03
PROPERTY DEFENSE CLUB,
Residents West of Castro Street
to Organize Against
Noe Heirs.
Too Many Lawyers in Evidence for a
General Cooperation of
Owners.

After several unsuccessful attempts to
organize all the property-owners on the
San Miguel rancho into defense associa-
ton against the suit of the Noe heirs, the
West of Castro Street improvement Club
has determined to be defense power all
by itself.
The club was inaugurated about year
ago and has membership of $50 property
owners in the district indicated by its
name. Next Friday evening the club
members intend to hold meeting at the
corner of Twenty third and Douglass
streets to formulate plan for the proper
legal defense of their small holdings. Par
ticularly do they purpose to make an
early and concerted response to the several
summonses served on them by counsel for
the Noe claimants.
They have thought it advisable to con-
centrate upon one attorney, who shall Tor
a nominal sum file the answers to the
papers served or each individual land
holder and see to it that none OF the cluo
mem bers suffer through default in answer
ing the summonses within the limit of ten
days from the date of service. Some men,
bers Of the improvement club are favorlng
the employment of an attorney resident
in the district.
The lawyer question is practically the
chief cause for the absence OF harmony
and cooperation among the general prop
erty-owners living in the large area not
embraced by this club. At meeting held
last Friday nothing was accomplished. as
many of the property owners say, because
of the great number OF attorneys that
were present and consumed the time In
reiterated and. gratuitous advice. the bur-
den of which was that every man ought TO
act for himself and secure his own attor-
ney.'
One of the officers of the club, speaking
of the situation, said yesterday:
"There is no other organized body in the
rancho that is alive to the danger. We
mean to see that none OF our members
shall have the titles to their holdings
clouded by their neglecting the summons
and allowing q default to be entered
against them. As for as the merits OF the
suit we take no stock in the claim OF the
Noe heirs. The danger lies in allowing
counsel for the claimants to get Judg-
ment by the owners negecting to make
legal answer to the service OF the warrant
calling upon him to show cause why he
should not abandon his claim. under.
stand that about fifteen owners are in de-
fault already for not having noticed the
summons.
"There are about $500 holdings in the
The first complaint so far drawn up for
the Noe heirs contains 271 names and only
l6O OF them have been served with papers.
More are sure to be served, but too many
of the property owners are holding back
and unwilling to plan for q defense until
they are actually served with papers.
ut is common rumor that you can
settle with the Noe heirs through their at
torney for per cent of the valuation OF
your property. All the people have to
fear is in neglecting to answer when sum-
moned. If they all do that promptly
then they are free to unite upon subse-
quent defensive measures if the suit come
to trial. So far only the owners OF small
holdings have been served upon and out
OF their large numbers there is chance
Tor some to default and allow the heirs to
have hold on them"
A representative owner in the district
east OF Castro street expressed the opinion
tbat there was no harmony or concerted
action at the recent meetings because
every petty faction seemed to suspect that
another was trying to pull the wires for
some particular attorney, and, as conse-
quence, the gatherings disper rscd after be-
coming dlsgusted with the verbose advice
OF a small army of lesser legal lights that
talk.
They talked the thing to death and
gave no one else chance and people went
away. disgusted," remarked one owner.
"And now, when summoned to answer the
case, l, with others, intend putting it in
the hands OF some reputable lawyer. That's
all we Will do at first-simply to conform
to legal procedure and avoid default"