Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-05-11
Law at Wholesale.

Kate Pier. of Milwaukee, is plaintiff in
a number of law suits that have been
commenced in tins and adjoining coun-
ties within the past month, and the
papers in many of the cases have been
served. These cases, which will prob
ably reach 500 in number, are brought
under section 1877 and succeeding five
sections of the revised statutes, and
grow out of Miss Piers tax title specu-
lations 1t appears that several years
ago Miss Pier commenced purchasing
tax certificates in Lincoln, 14anglade,
and Oneida counties. and each year she
has increased her Investments. The re-
suit of this business venture is that Miss
Pier has become possessed OF tax titles
on large tracts oflands iii the counties
mentioned, a greater part OF which
lands are what are commonly called cut
lands, and they are not looked upon as
very valuable by those who originally
owned them, and let them go for the
taxes.
In the suits now commenced, the
ostensible object is to quiet the titles to
the lands in question. In making out
the papers in these cases it is very evil
dent that the item of taxable costs has
not been forgotten, as ATTACKED to each
complaint are exhibits in tax deeds issued
to Miss Pier by the several counties, and
the deeds are printed in full. AS to some
Of tht complaints are attached two Of
these deeds as exhibits, and as the folios
in the exhibits run up above onehundred
it will be noticed that the taxable costs
amount to sum not inconsiderable,
and as suit is brought separately on
each description of land, the taxable
costs in all the suits will amount up to
a sum that is really startling, i'll all
probability reaching 100000.
Eighty-three OF these cases have been
commenced against the Alexander Stew
art lumber Company. and nearly every
lumber company on the Wisconsin river,
as well as many OF the real estate dealers,
are interested as defendants in some of
the suits. We are reliably informed that
the original owners of the land would
willingly, i'll any cases, quit claim to
the plaintiff, and thus perfect her title,
but that she has, through her attorney,
refused to accept such deed without the
taxable costs.
The papers i'll these cases present a
unique appearance, being all printed by
letter press, instead of type written. ex-
cept in the complaint blanks were left
for writing in the particular description
in each case, and such other minor mat
ter as might be required to designate the
particular case for which the complaint
was used; in all other points the cases
are identical in form. AS the suits have
been commenced of late, it may be that
thsre are more to follow. About one
hundred OF these cases have already been
placed in the hands of Silverthorn, Hur-
ley, Ryan & Jones the defense of which
they will conduct, and other Wausau
law firms have also undertaken cases for
defendants Miss Harriet HI. Pier APP
pears as plaintiffs attorney in each OF
these cases, and Kate Piers name is
printed at the end Of each complaint as
plaintiff. Probably, as these are the
first suits of the kind ever brought i'll the
courts of Northern Wisconsin where
dealitg in tax titles has been a recognlz-
ed business for years, there will be an
unusual amount of interest lelt in these
cases, and they will be watched to their
conclusion by interested parties--Wau-
sau Record