Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-03-13
ST. LOUIS MAN
IS ACCUSED in
CASE INVOLVING
BAUXITE MINES
AmeriCuS and Leslie Women Open
Fight for Interest in
Properties

A suit involving the title to 200
acres of bauxite ore land near AnGer-
sonville, now being operated by the
Republic Mining & Manufacturing
company said to be worth $1,000000
ard in which frah.l in acquiring title
to portion of interest is charged, was
filed in the Sumter Superior court this
morning by Hixon & Pace, represent
ng Mrs. Annie Davis, wifi eof DR.. C.
p Davis, of Americus; Mrs. Leon Grif-
| fin, nf Leslie, and others.
Th, suit is directed against I.ich; rd
D. HattoE, of ST. Louis, and the he
rat; II, Mining & Manufacturing ccm-
rany, the latter company op Grating The
properly for bauxite ore Mining urter'
lease from Hatton.
The petition, which is g yoiumn .us
document says in substance that Mrs.
Davis and Mrs. Griffin, who are sis
ters and granddaughter Of Mrs.
Josephine Johnson, deceased, inherit
ed from Mrs. Johnson, one -fe,rtn in
terest in the 200 acres, of wh;cl they
w*,e unaware, in addition to another
smaller interest inherited from their
father. They were left paren1less
while young and H. D. Watts was made
their guardian. In 1903, through Their
guardian, they sold the interest left
by their father to P. L. Holt for 500,
IL being considered practically worth
'ess, and Mr.. Holt apparently buying
it for the timber. Promise was made
that they would deliver deed to the
land when they reached their major
ity. The agreement, the petition says,
was carried out in 1912 by them exc
cutting quit claim deed to the tract.
The petition then alleges that in the.
meantime Hatton, having discovered
the value of the land for bauxite min,
ing, obtained an option from Holt for
the purchase of the small interest, al
though Holt did not know of its value.
When the deed was obtained by Holt
it was acquired by Hatton.
The charge is made of fraud in the
next operation, laid in the petition to
Hatton. According to the paper, Hat
ton, knowing that Mrs. Davis and Mrs
Griffin owned a one-fourth interest in
the tract, and also knowing that they
were not aware of it, never having
been told of it, and their gradmother
having died without leaving a will,
went to them with the representation
that an error had been made in exc
cutting the quit claim deed they had
given Holt, and asking them to sign
another, which had been drawn up, to,
rectify 1t. This they signed says the:
petition, it later turning out that there
had been no error in the first deed,
and the second paper which they sign
ed being deed to the one-fourth inter-
est in the tract.
The suit asks restoration of the
title mad a just share Of the mesne
profits from the operation Of the
bauxite mines on the property, alleged
to be 100000.
Other parties to the petition jointly
with Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Griffin, are
DR.. J. L. Johnson, Judson Johnson, A.
]. Johnson, Amos Johnson and Thomas
L. Thigpen, minor, owner of the re-
naming interests in the tract.
1t is said that the company has TAX
en- possession of the entire tract by
placing single strand wire fence
about it and these other parties to the
suit, although holding title, seek to
eject the company to protect their own
interests.
The land in question is designated
as Land Lot No. 214, and is located
near Andersonville The Republic Min
ing and Manufacturing company is
mining bauxite ore, from which alum
mum is obtained, on an extensive scale
on the land.
Mr.. Hatton's interests here are rep
resented by w. w. Dykes, and warm
legal battle over the property is ex-
pected at the May term of the Supe-
1ior court, at which the suit is made
returnable