The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-02-26
County Judge Spends Many Days in
Figuring out the Title to "HOney-
moon Home in Salem.
OLD ESTATES FINALLY SETTLED.
Judge SlOsson Vests In Mrs Florence Ham
mOnd. of Chicago. Title to Mrs. Grace
Collins Famous Home.

Honeymoon Home,' that pleasant
little villa out in the town of Salem,
which has been made famous on ac-
count of the fact that it was owned by
Mrs. Grace Smell Coffin, the much
married and divorced daughter of the
late millionaire Amos Smell, formerly
OF Chicago, has occupied the attention
OF the county court FOR several days
lately and today Judge Slosson, after
long consideration of the matter,
handed down a decision vesting the
title of the property in Mrs. Florence
Hammond, of Chicago, who purchased
the property of Mrs. Coffin less than
year ago.
Never in the history of the county
court of this county has such a mixup
OF titles been presented to judge for
solution. In the final settlement of
the title it became necessary to settle
two estates, one Of which had been
open for more than half century and
another which had been due for a set
tlement since the days of the civil war.
Ii also became necessary for the court
to decide that Mrs. Henrietta Smell.
wife Of the former Chicagoan, was
dead, and that the property in question
had been given back to Mrs. Coffin.
70 add to the tangle it was found
that the United States Government
had issued a patent for the land to
Joel Smith Wilcox in 1914, but this
title had never been placed on record
and so far as legal records in this
county were concerned the property
still belonged to the Government, re-
CARELESS of the plasters which Mrs.
Coffin had placed on it in the way of
mortgages. The first title to the land
was made good by the issue of dup.
licate patent from the Government
which has been recorded.
From the original patentee the prop
erty descended by sale to one William
Swinde1ls, who died intestate in 1855.
The will of the decedent was never ex.
ecuted and the estate until today was
still open on the books of the county,
but in the meantime the heirs to the
property had gone ahead and had given
deeds for the property. The petition
of administration recalled the cholera
scourge of 1848, and it is shown by the
petition that two of the sons of William
Swindells with their entire families,
fell under the terrible disease at that
time. But there were heirs a plenty
left and among the number was one
Samuel Swindells, who at the time of
the breaking out of the war went to
fight for his country and who died on
battle field near Columbus, Ky, some
time in the year 1864.
No effort has ever been made to have
administration of his estate as he was
q bachelor, and his one ninth interest
in the Salem property had to be divided
among the brothers and sisters sur
viving. One of these heirs was
Joseph Swinde1ls and he1eft surviving
him two sons who took the name of
Leigh" and who are still living in
Milwaukee.
All of the heirs to the estate, with
the exception of Samuel Swindel1s,
had given quit claim to the property
to Egbert Hiserod, who in turn sold it
to Mrs. Coffin. She, when beset with
financial troubles some time ago,
decided the property to her mother, Mrs.
Henrietta Smell, with the expressed
understanding that should Mrs. Smell
die before the maker of the deed, the
property was to revert to Mrs. Coffin.
The Judge found that Mrs. Smell had
died and, in keeping with the deed, al
lowed the property to revert to Mrs.
Coffin.
The sale to Mrs. Hammond was made
and the two nephews of the original
land owner, under the name of Leigh,
quit claimed the property to Mrs. Ham
mond. But in the settlement of the
estate ofSSamuel Swindel1s there was
nothing to show that James and John
Swindells did not yet hold the property
but the judgment of the court now
shows that the two men are Identical
with the'James and John Leigh, and
SO the property is now vested entirely
with Mrs. Hammond.
1t is hardly possible that such
another taugle in property will ever be
discovered in this county and it is GER
tain that the court and attorneys who
have been interested in the clearing of
the title will never seek to unravel
such another web.