The Washington herald., 1914-12-01

Mrs. Ball q sum that, with interest
amounts to about $4,000
But, he adds. he understands a Japanese
syndicate is trying to get the land. and
that money or no money he win not in
that case surrender the deeds without the
laws compulsion. The State Department;
at Washington. he says, knows well
where the deeds are and how he feels
about them.
The beginning was on a day In 1905
when James Edwards. adventurer, ex-
plorer. promoter who had an office next
door to Mr.. Rowlette, walked in upon his
neighbor suddenly leading his young
daughter by the hand. Edwards had been
told he had not long to live. OF this he
Informed Rowlette, adding that he wished
TO make will leaving all he had to his
girl.
Here In this tin box" the pioneer went
on. ARE the deeds and Mexican grants to
100000 acres Of lond on the west coast
bought 1t from Flores, Hale & Co.
for 1896, 900. and the Chartered Company
Of California has bought II of me, but still
owes S31, 900. Whatever happens, / don't
want you to let them have these deeds
until they pay what they still owe"
Rowlette accepted the trust and Ed
wards died soon afterwards. Since then
lnGEG mas nut DcGn q udgs says lnC
yer. when the Chartered Company Of
Lower California or some of the men
in it-John z. Blackman. W. F. Lakin.
and others-have not been trying their
hardest to get hold of the Edwards deeds
The purpose, I am assured, is to be
able to give title to a japanese syndi-
cate" says Mr.. Rowlette. Ordinarily,
were they ever to come forward with
the money due, I should surrender the
k.,,s 10 A..
to Japanese, with the probability Of
Japan gaining Magdalena Bay as a naval
base, shall fight my hardest not to give
them the title papers, money or no money.
The first intimation ! had that there
might be trouble came from William J.
Heney, a nephew of Francis Heney, who
came in my office not long after Ed
wards death and remarked that John T..
Blackman was coming after these papers.
Coming? Why, John E. Blackman
came to my ofice 80 times about II. As
told the court recently, I sued him for
800 principally to keep him from coming
here so often.
AT one time they went over to New
Jersey and formed a special company of
some sort over there and got a trust
company to issue a certificate Of indebt
edness and brought that certificate over
to me. They laid 1t on the desk and then
said triumphantly: Now gives us the pa
pers"
'I said didn't have to accept their
certificate, and wouldn't. So then they
went away and sued me, a year ago last
September. for $4,000 damages for with
holding title papers. Suit was brought
in the name of the Charteded Company
of Lower California. Oscar B. Berg
strom, of 149 Broadway, as attorney, veri-
fed the complaint. The company is, or
was, a Maine corporation, with an Office
at 80 State street, Boston, in 1903, 1904 and
1906 1 don't know where it has been
since.
I'm this interesting suit against me
they decided they would discontinue, and
BIackman called and told me so, at the
same time offering me one Of those or
nate trust company certificates of in
debtedness. / opposed the motion to dis
continue the suit. Let it be tried
THE sheriff arrived here with a writ
of replevin for the title papers and a
10000 bond to indemnify me. I told him
that II he saw the papers anywhere
around he might take them. He ap-
peared discounted. He said he hadn't
come to search the place. 1 said Go
ahead but he didn't. But as a matter
of fact. the papers were not mine to
surrender. They are my clients.
Mrs Ball? She's in Virginia. I'd rather
not say where, lest these people annoy
her"
it was said at his ONCE yesterday, and
no one else could be found TO give the
other side OF the fight.