New-York tribune., 1918-10-26
Justice Scudder Forbids
Them on Plea for Sol
diers and Families
$4,000 Paid for
Land Sold for $50
Suit Of Mary Helen MIC.
Kenzie Cited in Action
at Mineola

Justice Townsend Scudder. OF the su.
premc Court. signed an order yesterda,
enjoining William L. Luyster, treas.
urer of Nassau County, from holdin,
tax sales there for period of two years.
The obtaining of the injunction wa
the climax to the investigation of tax
lien sharks conducted for the past
months by the Mayors Committee on
Taxation, District Attorney Swami ard
Magistrate Appleton.
The order is returnablc November :,
at which time it Will be argued al the
Mneola Court House. 1t stops Luyster
not only from going on with the sale
for this year, but prevents him from
spending any of the county's none
on matters connected with such sales.
Samuel S. Breslia, attorney for the
committee; Nathan Hirsch its chair
man, and Charles W. Wysong, its
Nassau County legal Representative,
went to Justice Scudder's home, at Glen
Head, l.. J., with papers containing ths
facts brought out at the hearings be-
fore Magistrate Appleton
The complaint in the case was pre-
sented by Mr. Breslin for Anton ].
Wettach. of Rockville Centre, L. /.
who, in a deposition, declared that the
sales, if held. would cost Nassau
County from $4,000 to $4,000. a sum
that could be saved by postponire
them.
Patriotic reasons also were set forth.
1t was declared that among the persons
whose lots would be offered and
bought by the sharks were many men
serving in the army and navy who
were out of the country. and there
fore unable to pay their taxes
Dependents Can't Pay
Many others of the 10000 lots which
would be offered were owned BY the
families of soldiers and sailors, it was
averrcd. and it was impossible for
them, because Of the depletion of IL
come due to the war, to pay the ne
cessary taxes to save their properties
supporting affidavit By Mr.. Breslin
brought out the fact that the postpone
ment would cause no hardship on Mas
sau County, because it is provided by
law that 10 per cent penalty attaches
TO tax arrears, which the county can
collect if at the end OF the two years
stay any of the taxes are unpaid The
step would be a positive financial gain
to Nassau County, it was pointed out.
since money can be borrowed mean
while at 6 per cent for carrying on
county affairs.
Justice Scudder took the party into
his study, looked over the briefs and
signed the order at once. The investi-
gators then went BY automobile to
Mineola where the order was served
on County Treasurer Luyster. who had
hitherto refused to grant all appeals
made by Mr.. Hirsch that ne postpone
the sales.
At hearing yesterday before Mag
istrate Appleton it was testified that
Frederick b. Pratt, trustee of the
Pratt Institute, had paid $4,000 for
plot of land which had been bought al
tax sale for about $50
Woman Fights Sale
Felix Reifschneider. jr, United
States Commissioner for the Eastern
District of New York, the only witness.
said he had been retained by Miss Mary
Helen Mckenzie, daughter OF a wealthy
shipping man, who had left her between
five and six acres of land at Locust
Valley, near the Piping Rock Country
Club.
This property, the witness testified
was sold at tax sale for $50 to David
Bandler, A. +. Harvey and Eugene Elan
agan, who in turn offered il TO Mr.
Pratt. When the deed was about to be-
signed, Reifschneider testified, 1t was
found that the title was not clear. snd
Flanagan, former employe of the
Title Guarantee and Trust Company.
obtained from that company a policy
lnsuring the property.
Miss Mckenzie started action for the
recovery of the property and the set
ting aside of the sale, with Nassau
County officials and Pratt as co-defend-
ants. The suit is pending in the Brook
lx-n