The age-herald., 1899-08-01
HIGHLAND AVENUE
 AND BELT SOLD Bought by E. E. Whitaker Of NsW
 York City. SALE BROUGHT $176,000.00 Only Two Bids Were Offered on the
 Property. ONE WAS BY JOHN F. EMARTIN Thought That in the Near Future the Road Will Be Operated by the Traction Company as an
 Electric Line
ONE WAS BY JOHN F. sMARTIN

cry for $176.OOO
 The purchaser was E. E. Whitaker ot New York
 There were but two bids made. The first
 one was offered by John F. Martin, the attorney. He offered the upset price of
 S175,000. This was in behalf of one of his | clients, whose name is withheld by MT.
 Martin.
 Promptly MT. Whitaker replied -"sl76,- 0O0"
 ''1 dm offered for this property, gentle
 men, $176,OO0," called Special Master N. w.
 Trimble 'Ts there any other Did?'
 The special master repeated the ques- tion. There was no answer. "Going at S176,00O! Once-third and last call Gonel Sold to E. E. Whitaker for s176,OOO!
 With these words Special Master Trimble turned into the government building, and the small crowd gathered about the steps,
 several of the lawyers following MT. Trim ble into his office.
 It was an interesting scene, almost pie
 turesque that was presented on and about
 the steps leading to the Second avenue en-
 trance to the United States government
 building at S:So o'clock yesterday after
 noon
 Probably sixty persons were gathered
 there, consisting chiefly of lawyers and in-
 vestors, with a sprinkling of onlookers,
 who desired merely to look and listen.
 When MT. Trimble came down the steps
 with some legal documents in his hands
 and stationed himself on the third step
 above the sidewalk the scene resembled in grouping figures that of the chorus in a big concert, or more properly the arrange
 ment of a minstrel show. The hour fixed for the sale was 12 o'clock
 noon. Once before the sale, as ordered
 had been postponed because of legan i'm pediments. Yesterday the hour was changed from 12 noon to 3:30 D. m for not believe the sale would take place at all. That is to say, they were sceptical Even Mr. Whitaker. the purchaser was | somewhat astonished.
 Legal Football | The property has been In litigation for | four years It has been tossed about from court to court, like a rubber ball played with amongst young school boys. The puoic long ago grew weary, and lattery almost Wrathful. The condition of the dummy line has gone from bad to worse The equipment has deteriorated until it has become apparently unsafe But after all the years of dalying in the counts the sale is at last made and now awaits only the approval of the courts that uirecteu the sale or the property to make the transaction complete and permanent still there was doubt up to the last mo- ment that the sale would be made. Eyery- Body expected some sort of hitch to occur and so there was a feeling of relief when | MT. Trfmble walked down the steps and. pausing declared 1t his purpose to proceed at once to sell the property of the Highland Avenue and Belt Line Railroad company
 under the decree of the court He asked II some one present wouldn't buy the sale tor him. There were calls for Attorney
 Latady, but he failed to appreciate the
 honor of the position.
 Check for S5O,OOO MT. Trimble carried tw osealed envelopes in his hand. He opened them Each con
 tained a certified check for s5OOOO. The checks he pushed down into his vest pocket.
 rlghthand side. as if they had been dollar bills He bore in his hand the official copy of the decree of court for the cale which ne was about to make. He also held in his hand the newspaper copy of the decree as advertised. From that "clipping" he read: And no person shall be allowed to bid | who has not deposited with the special mas ter of the court certified check for $50. | 000."
 | Some Playful Remarks Captain Frank White asked for the loan Of such a check. James L. Tanner said he Aie'N SSfCA oi Ol lHOSc CHeCkS III ms pocket, but was not lending them. newspaper reporter offered check. but found no takers. bright young man said he'd
 run around corner and get one that was | satisfactory. Solicitor Hefin thought he
 had two or three In his pocketbook; but
 was mistaken. Nathan l.. Miller looked as | 1T things of that sort were everyday mat | ters with him, and so smiled induigentIv | Some others there looked at the sky and l wondered if rain would fall What was
 there in certified check for fifty thousand | dollars! Bahl
 l Jack Martins Hid
 John F. (''Jack'D Martin looked up to the
 American flag and slyly chewed gum. Alex
 ander T. London looked at nothing and
 chewed nothing. E. E. Whitaker, of New York, looked far down the sunset-way of
 Second avenue and waited. "One hundred and seventy-five thousand 1 dollars!" said Jack Martin, as a starter to the bidding.
 "One hundred and seventy-six thousand | dollars!" retorted Mir. Whitaker. Each gentleman chewed his cud and said l nothing. Each was satisfied. l MT. Whitaker Wouldn't Talk
 MT. Whitaker was seen in MT. Trimble's
 office by an Age-Herald reporter imme-
 diately after the sale and questioned as to | his intentions regarding the property he | had just purchased.
 This is question of interview" he ask | ed amiably. It was.
 'I can't tell you thing. After all, this
 purchase of mine, the sale, Is sudden. We
 didn't expect 1t to take place just now and l have no plans formed I can understand | that Birmingham is much interested, and | am really sorry that can't give some word 1 for the public. But I can't. The sale is | yet to be confirmed by the court. Even ii l we had plans, to make them public would | be premature until after our purchase is | confirmed. As I said the sale was in the | end sudden. I had to protect my interests and to do so by purchasing the property. 1 Beyond this I can't tell you thing, though l l should be glad to tell you something" | The sale had to be confirmed by either 1 Judge Bruce. of the United States district l cnurt or LIdoA DayId D. Shelby of tho