The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-06-29
A Semi Official Statement
From the Gary Land Co.
Reassures Purchasers.
TITLES NOT Affected
Mrs. C. F. Sommerville in Complaint
Against John F. Sawyer Alleges
Fraud and Misrepresentation

One Of the Chicago papers which is
very near to the officials of the Gary
Land company has printed what APP
pears TO be a semi official statement
Of the land companys attitude to-
wards the recent coup OF the Ham
mond lawyers who secured title 70 part
of section ten at Gary.
The wide publicity given to this
transaction has caused considerable re-
luctance on the part of prospective
purchasers to buy Gary land for fear
that other land may have clouded IL
ties. The article says:
The rumor stirred up in Gary during
the last few days which created for
a time a general uncertainty concern
ing all titles in the new steel city, loses
practically all of its danger upon in
vestigation.
The report that the land mentioned
was in the heart of Gary and covered
a big portion of the town was with
out foundation. The property in ques-
tion is section ten. which is located
south of the Michigan Central rail-
road and east Of Broadway. The
greater part of this section is owned
by the steel company, which never has
even plated nor offered its holding for
sale. This is entirely apart from the
plant and principal property of the
steel company and refers to only a
small fraction of their interest The
facts in the case are:
on June 3 Mrs. Caroline F. Sommer-
VILE filed in the Lake county superior
court her bill against John +. Saw
yer. alleging:
That defendant procured by fraud
a. quit claim deed of said premises,
purporting to convey the same to the
defendant in fee by then and there
falsely and fradulently representing
to the plaintiff that she owned no in
mere technical claim which was un-
of said real estate.
, Says She Was Deceived.
Said defendant further falsely and
fraudulently represented to said plain
tiff that said real estate was of no
value whatever, consisting of sand hills
sloughs and unproduetive wild land
/ That said defendant approached the
plaintiff under the claim and guise OF
desiring to become her attorney in
enforcing said claim; that plaintiff be-
lieved all of said false and said fraud
ulent representations and relied or
them, and had no opportunity to veri-
fy said representations or ascertain the
contrary without great expense. she a
said time being a resident of the city
| of New York
Plaintiff further says that she, at thu
time she was so approached by saic
defendant, knew nothing concerning
said land or OF her interest therein
and relied on said representations an,
false statements of fact made by sal,
defendant.
She Sold for S25.
Plaintiff further says that said de
fendant well knew that his said state
ments were false and untrue at tn
time of making them; that defendan
made said representations with the in
tent to defraud and deceive plaintiff
and for the purpose OF inducing her t
convey said real estate to him for
nominal consideration, SIS, which wa
the amount paid by defendant to thi
plaintiff for said conveyance.
Plaintiff further says that said rea
=
an acre-and that defendant well kne1
this at the time he secured the dee
for $25.
Basis for Her Claim
Mrs. Sommerville. it will be noticed
makes no direct attack upon the pres
ent and innocent purchasers Of lot
in this section. An examination Q
abstract shows that whatever claim sh
apparently has in this section is base
upon the following facts:
Mrs Sommerville was at one tim
the wife OF Nathaniel T. Wright, VIII
claimed to hold an undivided one-hal
) interest in the property at the tim
Wright and his wife were not mad
: parties TO certain foreclosure proceed
ings through which the title come
Many good lawyers assert they wer
not necessary parties. However. I
meet all these objections the title wa
: quieted by John Gunzenhauser. the the
! owner. by the proper court proceeding
about one year ago. All the necessar
, persons were parties defendant. IL
! cluding the Wrights.
Third Persons Secure.
The time has expired within whic
an appeal from tnat decree HlSAl nav
been made and all the third person
who have purchased under that deere
are secure in their titles in the opinio
OF good lawyers. There is nOthin
novel in the point claimed TO have bee
raised and it was not discovered I
any bright young lawyer" The poil
was raised BY almost all examines
of the title and objections waived |
them. Some or the best known az
(COntinued on page 3, column 81