The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1910-08-24
.UTOP|AN CITY
IS DESERTED
And It's Builder Goes Off
On a Visit.
NEW CITY ON KENTUCKY POINT
Opposite Evansville, Seems 10
Strike impeachment in
Its Building.
THERE'S LITTLE DOING NOW
The Evansville Courier says:

The Evansville Courier says:
The rumor current yesterday
morning that plans had mis3arried
and that the proposed Utopian city
across tAe river had been abandoned,
gained credence yesterday afternoon
when It was learned that "Builder"
Brown had left Evansville, ahead Of
his many creditors.
Little work has been done across
the river. Brown was out of the city
last week, returning only on Satur-
day. He said upon his return that he
had been to Cincinnati to purchase
a sand digger. Later he said that he
could have a sand digger built to or
der cheaper than he could buy one
ready made that in order to super
intend its construction he must go
again to Cincinnati. Yesterday with
his wife and three trunks-all the
baggage he had herc-he left, saying
that he was going to Cincinnati,
where he would be gone four weeks.
He lived in Mrs. Bertha Harlan's
rooming house, SO Upper First
street.
Numerous creditors had agents
camped on his trail every minute Of
the time since they learned of his ar
rival on Saturday.
Several months ago Mrs. Hawley,
of New York, Mrs. Crawford of Terre
Haute, and Mr. Carroll purchased Il
ten-acre tract of land across the river
from Evansville and got a three-ye a.
option on an adjoining ten-acre tract.
For the first ten acres there was
paid 500 in cash and 2 note given
for the balance. Brown acted as the
agent, it is presumed.
Brown proposed to build a Utop-
ian city on the ten or twenty acres.
There was big talk by him of the adj
vantages to be gained by owning
los and living in the model city. He
talked much and often of what he in-
tended to do.
Then the Continental Land Compa-
ny bobbed up, ready to sell the lots.
The company had no assets, NJ OH
GERS or charter. nothing but los OF
lte,at that was printed on credit.
II established headquarters at BIS
rryer Second street. Brown, who
had spent three or four months ST.
rerintending the work scross the
river, during which time not near
enough was done to justify his state
ments or to fulfill his promises to
the public or to justify the sale of
the low ground lots, then went into
the Office of the Continental Land
Company. He said he was merely
opening the office and that the COM
pany would incorporate.
In order to learn of the sO-called
advantage of the lots that the Con-
tinental Land Company had for sale
one had to go directly to the offices
on Second street. No literature was
sent through the mails. 1t is known
that postal authorities were laying
for the Continental company and
that every attempt to get Brown to
mail out one of his pamphlets failed.
There is on record a deed from
the original owners to the people for
whom Brown claimed to be acting as
AGENT. There is no deed, however,
from them to the Continental Land
Company. The blank deeds used for
the transfer of the lots to purchasers
bear the name of the Continental
Land Company and not the people
who have title to the land.
Work on the town across the river
has apparently stopped and instead
of a city of concrete with $4,000 in
habitants, it looks like deserted viii
lage. The walls of the administra-
ton building are only built up as
high as builder" Brown claimed to
have intended filling in the land. At
that rate only the foundation is fin
ished. The supply of concrete blocks
is low and the few that are lying In
the shed are broken and covered with
the Ohio river mud that accumulat-
ed on them when the river was high.
The electric lighting plant looks
\ n
and is apparently finished, but no
light shines over the city" Fonn-
dations of houses-to-be are scattered
over the townsite but no administra-
ton building or bungalow rears its
head from the mass of rank weeds
and scattered underground.
Creditors Attach Buildings.
Evansville, Ind, Aug. 1s.--BMid-
D - a.