New-York tribune., 1907-09-27
CHARGE REALTY FRAUD
Maurice Feotherson accuses FeIIoso
Democrats of Duping Him.

Kings County Democrats were talking last
| night of a suit charging fraud in real estate
| deal. filed by Maurice Featherson in the Su-
/ preme Court of Brooklyn yesterday, and nam
| ing several fellow Democrats defendants. The
main defendant is the estate of the late Senator
| John McCarty, but included In the list are
| men still active in politics
| The deal involves syndicate purchase in 1897
! of what was known in the Bay Ridge district
| of Brooklyn as Spence Park" later named
| Margaretta Park 1t is irregular piece of
| property whose boundaries roughly speaking.
| are between Tenth and Thirteenth avenues. run
| ming from Bay Ridge avenue to 18th street. The
property was bought by the syndicate ten years
| ago for $4,000 and is now held to be worth
| more than three times that amount.
The persons sued by the Tammany district
| leader are Miss Sara A. McCarty. sister Of the
| late Senator: Margaret McCarty. his widow;
Joseph F. MCLEAN, long the Senator's clerk
and now connected with the administration of
! his estate; Judge John ]. Allen. of political
fame Of years ago and his WIFE, Mrs Louise
a. II. Allen; Patrick II. Flynn known well
in politics as he IS in street railroad matters.
and his wife. Mrs Celeste Flynn: James r.
Casey. intimate of Senator Coffey. who sold to
him his original syndicate holding; Frederick
c. Cocheu. realty dealer, and his wife. Mrs.
Josephine Cocheu; Frank Hennessy and his
wife. Mrs. Mary Hennessy; John ]. Cain and
William Spence. from whom the property was
bought
The suit is really against the McCarty estate.
the other defendants being named simply for
legal purposes because Of their financial inter
est in the syndicate. The late Senator McCarty
is charged with deliberate scheme of fraud"
and the bill of particulars makes substantially
the following allegations:
The syndicates holdings were divided into
sixteen shares. of which Mr.. Featherson held
one. The terms OF the purchase made June 9.
1897. were $4,000 in cash. and the remaining
$4,000 in five years the payment being Sc
cured by q mortgage. Mr. Featherson through
his attorney. Daniel 2 Kiey. alleges that he
paid according to agreement his share of
the interest on the mortgage and also repeated
~ asked If anything more required on the
principal but told by Mr.. McCarty that 1t
was all right that despite this the mortgage
was foreclosed on July Is. 1902. because prac-
ticaIly none OF the principal had been paid: that
the property was sold under foreclosure 10 Miss
Sarah McCarty in February. 1908. for $1,000
and that Miss McCarty Immediately negotiated
a mortgage with Mr. Spence for S6hOoo and
that this mortgage is now lien the property
In Mr. Feathersons suit Miss McCarty IS
charged with being merely the dummy or
agent" of Senator McCarty. who died In Oc-
tober. 1905. II is added that Mr. Featherson
was kept in ignorance by Mr.. McCarty OF the
fact that the principal on the mortgage had not
been paid. such proceeding being in further
ance of the alleged conspiracy. and that this Is
proved by the low price paid by Miss McCarty.
despite the increase in the value of real estate
IN that territory In the interim.
Nj Featherson's petition asks for the ap-
pointment of a receiver for the property and
the issuing OF an injunction preventing the sale
OF any portion of it until the case is finally ad-
judicated.