Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1906-11-22
FAMOUS COAL LAND CASE
IS DETERMINED
The Jury Finds Verdict for the Plaintiff
for Over $4,000.

w. w. Jackson ana others, tne
heirs t-law of George ID. Jackson,
deceased, a former resident of the
borough of Dushore, Sullivan county
recovered on Thursday last a ver-
diet in ejectment against Rush j..
Thomson, practicing attorney
of Sullivan county, living at Du-
shore, for an undivided interest in
the 1O2 acres of coal lands located in
cherry township, Sullivan county,
which verdict includes the sum of
s24 ,055. 33 as value of the coal taken
out of said lands by Walter B. Gun
ton under mine lease with said
Thomson.
George d. Jackson died in 1879,
possessed of interests in various val
liable timber and coal lands in Sull-
ivan county. BY his will he ap-
pointed his wife, Bernice W., and
son George c. Jackson, as his exc
cutors, giving them power to make
sale of his real estate. Rush j.
Thomson, Esq, one of the defend
ants in the action is the son of sis
ter of George ID. Jackson. He shas
resided for many years in the hor-
ough of Dushore and was one of the
attorneys of the estate of George ID.
Jackson, as we'll as the personal at
torney of the executors. Thomson
was also a director of the Citizens
National Bank at Towanda. In the
year 1897 George {. Jackson, on ac-
count of various unsuccessful busi-
ness enterprises, became financially
embarrassed There were claims
against him i'm the hands of the sher-
iff for considerable amount, and he
was also indebted to the Citizens
National Bank of Towanda, in the
sum of 81 800 on notes endorsed by
his mother, Bernice w. jackson.
In order to secure the bank upon
these notes and to obtain from them
an additional s., 900 with which to
meet the most pressing claims against
him, George G. Jackson and his
mother offered to convey to Rush j.
Thomson, as trustee for the bank,
,,o ne; ,,,c IN toractS hold hx, tho,,, 4,
valuable timber lands located in
Cherry township, Sullivan county.
The bank refused to accept Il convey
ance of these lands unless they were
made to Rush J. Thomson absolute
Iy and We're accompanied by a con-
veyance from Bernice w. and George
c. Jackson as executors of the estate
of George d. Jackson, to the said
Rush j. Thomson absolutely of the
undivided one-third interest of the
estate of George ID. Jackson in the
I02 acres of valuable coal lands
which was the subject of the present
action in ejectment. This convey
ancc the executors of George ID.
Jackson had no power to make for
the purpose of securing the payment
of their own individual debts, but
under the stress of circumstances
they were finally constrained to
make the conveyance demanded by
the bank in order to save themselves
from financial ruin.
Accordingly on the 9th day of
July 1897, they executed to Rush j.
Thomson absolutely four deeds for
undivided interests in valuable tim
ber and coal lands in Sullivan coun-
ty. The deeds having been executed
and delivered to Thomson, he i'm
mediately took possession of the
lands tthereby conveyed and pro-
ceeded to strip them of timber and
bark, realizing a profit from the
same of over 1000, out of which
he paid to the Citizans' National
Bank of Towanda, the IS, 100 due
from Bernice w. and George c.
Jackson individually and some other
claims against him, making the total
amount expended by him on theil
account about $4,000.
|
In 1898 Thomson, in conjunction
with the other owners of the 10:
acres Of coal land, in which the es
tate of George ID. Jackson had owned
a one-third interest, leased the same
to Walter B. Gunton for a term O
ten years, with the privileges o
taking out the coal at a royalty o
twenty-cents a ton. Between thu
wears of 1898 and 1905, Walter B