The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-06-30
suit is Brought to Get Fin
al Settlement of Estate of
Fitch A. Higgins.
WORTH LARGE SUM
resent Title Holders Sues
Heirs to Get Title Cleared
in Order to Sell.

Rich in the earlier history of Keno
ha county, telling the story of one Of
IS wealthiest men and the dissipation
his fortune, is the suit filed in the
rcuit court today in (which John
rown and others are the plaintiffs and
lalesta Higgins and others the de-
endants. The suit is a demand for
he partition Of the estate of the late
itch A. Higgins, one-time one of the
yealthiest of the residents Of Kenosha
ounty and a man about whose career
anne all the romance of pioneer days.
The property in question is 215 acres
# land in the town of Pleasant Prairie
adjoining the city and it is declared
to be worth in excess of 100000. The
suit is an unusual one, demanding an
Interpretation of the will of Fitch A.
Higgins, which was probated following
a contest way back in 1888 The point
at issue is when the title for the farm
in Pleasant Prairie vested and in whom
it is vested.
Sold Watches and Made Fortune.
Fitch A. Higgins was Connecticut
Yankee who found his "King Arthurs
Court" in Kenosha county. 1t is said
that he walked all the way from that
eastern state to Kenosha county, sell
ing watches and clocks along the way
and repairing timepieces of the pio-
neers. He settled in Pleasant Prairie
and when he died way back in 1882 he
was counted on as one of the wealth.
lest men of the county Fred Higgins
was referred to as the "black sheep"
of the family, but when the father died
he left the big farm to this son with
the understanding that on his death
it should go to his heirs. The will was
contested by five other heirs of Fitch
A. Higgins, among them was Charles
Higgins, whose widow, Malesta Higgins
is named as the principal defendant in
the case. The late Judge Dodge,
Quarles & Quarles and John T. Fish
were the attorneys in the will contest
and it was finally withdrawn on agree
ment that the contesting heirs should
be paid $4,000 each. This payment
was made and all of the heirs with the
exception of Charles Higgins, now de-
ceased, signed quit claim deed at
tempting to vest the right of the prop
erty in Fred Higgins. But the title of
the land was not held to be good and
efforts to sell it were tied up by the
cloud on the title.
Sale Finally Negotiated.
Finally Fred Higgins, some years
ago, then a saloon porter in Chicago,
made a sale Of the land to John Brown
Of Crown Point, the late Judge Burke
of Chicago and other parties and they
paid the taxes and collected the rents
and paid to Higgins $40 a month. Hig-
gins died suddenly in Chicago last
uring and now Brown and heirs of
her alleged owners of the property
&c seeking to clear the title. Attorney
George w. Taylor, who represents the
defendants in the case, declares that
Mrs. Higgins claims the one-sixth of
the property as her right under the
will of Fitch A. Higgins and that heirs
of the other sons of Fitch Higgins
claim an equal interest in the property
on the claim that under the will the
title could never be vested in Fred
Higgins as a proper title.
Peter Fisher of Kenosha and Charles
Jackson of Chicago are the attorneys
for the plaintiffs. The suit is brought
in the circuit court and it is expected
that it will be heard at the next term.
1t is understood that as soon as the
title to the property is cleared it will
be put in the. market,