The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-09-02
MISS KATIE WAITE is
MRS. /. @. PURDY, is MIR. LANG
DON'S STATEMENT.
DEEDS MADE IN HER MAIDEN NAME
Judge Purnell Orders S. A. Henszey and Miss
Waite to File Answers in Five Days--Mr.
Ed. Chambers Smith to Take Evidence
Wholesale Fraud Charged.

A genuine sensation has been sprung
by Mr.. Samuel p. Langdon i'll the case
of w. 2. Henszey and others against
the Langdon- Henszey coal Mining Com
pany and others. A petition, number .,
of Mr.. Langdon has been presented in the
circuit u. s. court for thes fourth cir
cult and Eastern district Of North Caro-
lima, in which some startling revelations
are made about Miss Katherine 4. Waite
who has figured so conspicuously in the
Egypt Coal Company's affairs.
Mr.. Langdon first states that he is one
of the parties in the suit, and a holder
of stocks and bonds Of the defendant,
the Langdon- Henszey Coal Mining Com
,pany. He says that he may become
a bidder at the commissioners sale OF
the property and it is Of the utmost i'm
portance to. him, as we'll as to other
prospective bidders, other than Samuel
A. Henszey and his associates. that op-
.portunity be afforded them ito investl-
gate the title to the property before the
sale. To accomplish this purpose the
petitioner contends that the decree OF
the court. which ordered Samuel A.
Henszey, the receiver, to deposit with the
commissioners, appointed to sell the
property. all the deeds SO that the pros
pective purchasers might inspect them,
intended also to require the receiver to
deposit all the muniments of title, in
Guiding the records of the minutes OF
meetings of corporations, &c.
Sections 3 to 10 inclusive of the petit
ton refer to the title of the property,
and petitions that the charter of the
Egypt Coal Company, purporting to have
been duly created, organized and exist
ing under the laws of North Carolina
prior to April End, 1888, which has been
searched for and not found of record,
be produced; and that there should be
produced also, the minutes of the meet
ings Of the stockholders and directors
comforting the authority to purchase and
take deed for the property from Samuel
a. Henszey and wife, a certified copy
of the deed of trust on which loan of
$4,000 was secured from the Guarantee
Trust and Safe Deposit Company of
Philadelphia, the minute books of the
company showing authority to effect the
loan; copy Of the plan of the town
of Egypt laid out in 1888, the minutes
of the company showing authority for an
exchange Of town lots in 1889 by the
company to Samuel Henszey for the re-
naming land acquired by him in 1887
from Jno. w. Biddle and others, and the
deed for this land from Henszey and his
wife to the company.
These are what the petitioner asked
the court to have the receiver place in
the commissioners hands so prospective
purchasers can fully investigate the title
OF the property.
And now comes Miss Katie X. Waite's
part in the story. 1t is we'll known that
she was the type writer for Mr.. Samuel
Henszey, and she has played no insight
,ficant part in the affairs Of the company.
"The Egypt Coal Company" granted
and conveyed into her. her heirs and as
signs. September 2Sth, 1891, several
parcels of land in the "Town Of Egypt
and the petitioner further states that on
the same date this company conveyed to
her a certain parcel of land within the
main body Of the coal lands containing
about thirty acres. Following this state
ment section Is reads as follows:
"That at the time Of the conveyance to
said Katherine K. Waite, it appears by
the certified annexed hereto and marked
exhibit "a" that she was a married wo-
man and the wife Of Isaac 0. Purdy,
then residing at or near Wilmington,
Delaware, but she was living apart from
her said husband and occupying posi-
ton as typewriter, or private secretary,
to Samuel A. Henszey, then the presi-
dent Of the said Egypt Coal Compa-
ny, whose residence and principal place
of business was on the corporations land
at Egypt. Chatham county aforesaid"
The exhibit "a" is a copy of the
"Return of Marriage certified to by
Il. P. Varney, clerk of the city of Cam
den, State of New Jersey. This Return
of Marriage contains the information
that Miss Katie X. Waite, was born
in the United States, a resident Will
mington, Del, twenty years of age, the
daughter of Joseph Waite and his wife,
whose maiden name was Butler, was
married by George B. Wright in Camden,
N. j., March 14th, 1886, to Isaac O.
Purdy also resident of Wilmington,
Del Purdy was widower, forty four
years old, and was engaged in the electric
light business. He was born in this
country, the son of John II. and Eliza
beth Constantine Purdy.
The petition also asks that the original
articles Of incorporation OF the Egypt
Coal Company, No. 2, organized May
18th, 1892. be produced.
It appears from the petition that on
May 18th, 1892 Miss Waite or Mrs.
Pturdy conveyed real estate to "The
Egypt Coal Company" under her mai
den name while her husband was alive.
This was not done according to the
methods prescribed for married woman
to convey her separate estate. The petit
ton says that she likewise gave two
deeds to this company June LIST, 1892.
Section 20 says, THAT as your peti-
toner is informed and believes a fraud
was practiced by the said Mrs. Purdy
upon the said company of which Samuel
A. Henszey was president, she we'll
knowing that she was receiving the price
of the land, without conveying any title
therefor. That the said Samuel A. Hens
.zey was, as you petitioner is informed