Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-06-27

Vacant Lot "
II Remained For Thirty .
Years Without an
. Owner
By MARJORIE CLOUCH

r-'-'t-t''tt't''tt''t
More than fifty years ago, when the
city of Chicago was springing up out of
the prairie-or. rather, out Of the mud
there We're dwellings right in the re-
gion which is now occupied solely for
business purposes. And right in among
some of these dwellings was lot on
which the owner proposed to erect a
store building, Those who owned
homes In the vicinity objected to a
store building being erected near them
and dubbed together to buy the lot.
The owner asked the exorbitant price
of $500, but 1t was thought best to
pay 1t and keep the neighborhood free
from what would mar It for residences.
There were four persons who Clipped
In to buy the property, but, since one
owner was deemed more advisable
than four. three Of them proposed to
play game Of freezeout poker, the
winner to receive deed for the lot
But one of the four, being n deacon In
the church and averse to card playing,
ShHHVoiNu ttiul thtJ ONGl thG iOt
to n trustee, to be decided to the oldest
grandchild of any one Of the owners
ilfty yenrs from the day the trust
was made. The men were oil between
the ages of twenty-seven and forty
years, and no one of them had grand
child. One was not even married. New
ertheless. he assented to the plan; the
document was drawn up and signed
and placed In the hands of the trustee.
In ten years from that time two Of
the men interested In the lot were
dead. The dwellings In the district
where the property stood were much
run down. being occupied for sn-
looms and small shops. In ten years
more the other two owners had passed
away and the trustee as well, and n
successor had been appointed by the
court. The immediate vicinity Of the
lot had been steadily deterioratlng and
was now the worst location In the city.
But handsome office buildings were be
Ing erected two or three blocks distant
Since 1t was probable that that part of
the city would eventually become valu-
able. the adjoining property was now
held at n high figure. Inquiries were
made for the lot In question, but II soon
came to he known that there was
reason why 1t could not be sold, and in
time II WIS dropped out as possible
"hen iolty -nihe Oh the hity yenrS
Vi the trust "nu pusseu Hu"aru EN-
soh' the nun WHO heiu the trusteeshlp
ut TINT 'ihhe' one uuy, looking over
some paperS III MS sure calhe upon
Tue ueeu Oh trust anu sa" tnat ~
upout yehr from thaI tilne II "ouiu
pe us uuty 10 turn over the lou men
uoheu 10 'he QUEST living granuchlIu
OF any one OF the men VINO had mhue
the ueeu' IL therefore, DehooVeu MN
" '"ho MEASURES u uiS'o'e' the Pe'
oon e".l'ieu " 'ne plopei.y'
ine n,S' S'ep "e ,ooA III .ne n'"''e,
was u lenrh tne 'uiue Vi 'he io'' anu
ne iounu ,hht III .ne opilions Vi re", eS'
tnte men WIS Fniueu ut TWO OF 'hree
nun"reu tnouS"nu uo.,arS' nc ncAl
.,"ue 'iIu,lieS uS " 'ne ucSeeliu"I''
.nc or 'n"' Wu1,S u 'ne prop'''y
anu ioul,' ."" n,' VINE one .any n"1
,',s. :" so nc s, p"e
~ a,'eu ~ "."., p",vs 49, 10 a'I =,
80. n' ~ 49,, =. s,.'sa,,a
~ o,h'aa oha". !. ,n.,I ha hn1
,ooro., ., ,,,hono ,ho ,ow ,nn,,id con,
~, ~, 80 4. r. aoa,,a T.,
i ~" ,ho uhoroohou,s ~, tho chu
- -, :. a. - - 49,
u s" w. ~, e. ~ - ' 10 Geo., ' T.,
49, aaaoaS oono.ot,on ord ,mon,ao ,,h,
sno a,ons So a. So .ha soun.S 80
S,',,'a.' - ',,ha .aS 49, r,nnan
W.. I'm" II. 49, ," WV n"u ,',a. nao
AZ ~" 49, 80" ~. ,,ta ,oan,, no..,n, 49,,
80 ,.,'.,a.'. g. 49, S,,aao,a
n n,nl, a. =" 800 ~ hr,an ~ 20
ne"ap"Pe'' '"'''' " '"H my "
-
some 'iine peioru tne eAp's"t'o' "
Tue ueeu VI 'r"st H''ison enileu Hieou
ing Vi a' ,ne ue''enuan'' VI 'ne iou'
men VINO hnu o"neu .ne piope'S ne
hau Deeh npie 10 reacn WE'VE PEI.
bons "tlenueu anu uihe re9ponueu "
,e''er nNnns so' M '"e ,N''lNn"
tion ne rou,u iro'i, 'no"e w"V , WI
present niciu''ns 'neii "see' 1''iovn
uisnlisseo tne'ii anu w,o'e 70 'no o'n-
ers VIM n"u written niin, a'Ains 'n.n
nses y! the t"enty'eisnI sranu'n,'
uTeH ne Uuu nthTu VI Hb IlOW uuu INV