Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-23
Some Popular Ideas in Regard to
Those Instruments.
HOW MISSING LINKS ARE SUPPLIED
Lack Of an Abstract Cost an Ottumwa
Man About s6O-The Value OF the
Rooks-What 1t Costs tn
Keep Them Up.

vi lCctl III tllCSG 1llOQCIu QdNS
generally understands that it is Gus
tomary for the grantee to furnish an
abstract of title, yet few persons, COM
paratiyely speaking, are aware that the
abstract oftentimes does not show an
unclouded title. The popular idea is
that the examiner of titles has looked
the title over carefully, which he has,
and that because he has certified that he
finds no liens and that the taxes are all
paid, that the purchaser has an iron
clad title. If he be careful abstract
or and disposed to go bit further than
he is compelled to, he will set out those
matters in plain English that in his
judgment are cloud on the title. Oft
entimes it becomes necessary to quiet
the title by bringing an action of that
kind in court. At others deed is found
in orandfather's old papers that sup
piled the missing link and in still 9TH
er cases, where the grantee is deceased,
the title is patched up by affidavits
from different persons who knew that
the grantee was single if that was the
case and if the deed did not so specify.
Those who are not in daily con
tact with real estate matters
conjure up voluminous documents of
elongated shape, with dull insipid
Southeast quarter of the southeast
quarter" and can detect the musty
odor of a law office when abstracts
of title" are mentioned. Neverthe-
less, there are many interesting tea
lures about it, and while good many
people know that an abstract is as es-
sential to the grantor in transfer of
real estate as the warranty deed itself,
they are also aware that it is not nee
essary to revert back to the govern
| ment in obtaining a correct arbstract
on city lots.
| A plat of property becomes matter
| of record when a civil engineer has
gone over the proposed addition with
his implements and obtained the lines
and corners made by government en-
ployes years before. Then he plats the
property-places line and figure pic
ture of the land on paper with a writ
ten notation accompanied by his name
as to what he has done in the matter.
Then he files it. The county treasurer
looks the case up and finds there are
no taxes against it, and writes the fact
over his name at the corner of the
| plat, or map, as it is now called. The
county recorder testifies as to the title
and then the man who has plated the
| land with '"To whom these presents
/ shall come, greeting specifies in
writing on the plat that he has given
to the public the streets and alleys
which are incorporated in the plat,
signs his name. and after his wife
has appended her given name and his
| Christian name the lots named in the
4 plat become negotiable.
The first entry on the abstract is
from the government to the man who
owns the land that is plated and from
him to the new purchaser. All subse-
gent purchasers date their abstracts
from him and not from the government
unless the purchaser stipulates to the
| contrary.
II have often seen abstracts that run
as hi"h as forty transfers which nettsd
$21 ut S1.5O for the first transfer :.nd
so cents for each subsequent transfer y
said an abstractor yesterday. OF
course, many times they desire to have
the abstract examined by an attorney
to pass upon the title and fee is charg-
ed for that. / know of cases in this
town where piece of land has been
transferred, well, probably one HUNDRED
times, but those cases are rare. The
average will not run over twelve to
fifteen. There are great many cases
where $1.50 and So will cover the alb
stract cost. These are usually for eN-
| tensions-tranSfers or descriptions that
have but recently been made on the
abstract, with the entries Tor the last
4 day or week placed on the paper,
bringing the abstract up TO date. OF
course every man knows how essential
a rood abstract isNo clearing away the
Il doubts about the storm clouds on his
i title. wouldn't give so cents for a lot
4 without an abstract, and that drawn
down to, date.
'.Some people kick when they have
to pay for an abstract say it is use,
less expense and think abstract men
are fleeing them. Do you know wha,
it would cost to write up set of alb
stract books for Wapello county today:
Well, sir, / don't either,b but we would moi
i get out all we have invested if we
should sell for $4,000 today, in my
Judgment The cost of maintaining &
set OF abstract books after they are
4 corrected to date in this Office amounts
i to about SIS a day. People have to be
kept at work placing the latest trans
: fers on the books, and it is an incessan,
job, which will only end with the dawr
, of the last great day. Abstract books
are absolutely worthless If not brought
to date. An instance will illustrate:
A few years ago man bought a cit.
lot. The owner handed him an alb
stract upon which no entries had bee,
made for six months, but he insisted
that he had good clearance. The
man in turn sold the property to an
other man, turning over the abstrac
that he had obtained from the origina
owner. Well, this man was about tx
sell it again, but his buyer insisted OF
having an abstract up TO the day. The,
it was that tax of some kind, forge
what, was found againstthe lot, PLACED
there during the six months that wer
not shown on the abstract. and iii
property had been advertised for sal.
by the treasurer. That ended the sal
at the last end of the line. The MAJ
to whom the first sale was made CAM
back on him, he went after the maj
from whom he bought it and foun,
him IRRESPONSIBLE, tho he had no
known of the sidewalk, and the frs
MON M i'll yout S6(lAin clean GOSH n