The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-26
TELLS STORY OF
FARM PURCHASE
Ezydore Halicke Unf0lds
Strange Tale in Suit
Against Better.
IN CIRCUIT COURT
Tells of Farm in Wayne County
Illinois, and Deal Made
with Kenosha Farmer.

AN interesting STORY OF the exchange
of piece of farm land in Wayne coun-
ty, Illinois, was told in circuit court
before Judge E. B. Belden and jury
Monday afternoon in the suit of Ety.
dore Halicke and wife against E. E.
Better. The plaintiffs charge fraud
on the part of Better in selling them
piece of land at $110 an acre which
they claim was worthH nothing near
that sum, and charge that their ignor-
ance as foreigners was taken advant-
age of by the Kenosha county farm
er who owned and traded the Wayne
county place.
E. E. Better was called as adverse
witness by the plaintiff and after GER
tain facts had been ascertained by ex-
animation, the plaintiff Halicke then
took the stand. He told of negotia-
tions made through Kenosha realtor
for the exchange of his business prop
erty on Pleasant street for farm in
southern Illinois, and in some pictur-
esque detail unfolded the story of a
visit of friend and himself to the
farm. The farm consisted of $50 acres,
and Halicke proposed to take 30 acres
and eventually did so.
Halicke Tells Story.
Halicke said that one day in April,
1921, he went with his friend Joe
Zalubowski, with E. E. Better and with
John Tomlinson realtor to view the
farm in Wayne county in southern
Illinois
eve were met at the station by Mr..
Simpson," said Halicke, "with two
horses and wagon. Mr.. Simpson and
Mr.. Better sat in front, Joe and Mr..
Tomlinson in the back seat, and I be-
hind. Mr.. Better turned around and
said, You hear what Mr.. Simpson says;
he says the people are offering $125
for this farm right here. Me and Joe
and Mr.. Better went over the farm,
the one they were offering to sell us.
"There were three and half acres
of oats seeded and they were three
and a half inches high. Mr.. Better
says: 'Aint these nice oats, coming up
so pretty?' He said that would pro-
duce 55 to 40 bushels of oats. He said
we could grow 80 to 40 bushels
of potatoes, 45 to so bushels of corn.
We got to the little orchard and then
the timber. He pointed out oak, elm,
pine, stuff like that, about fourteen
inches around the trunk and maybe
45 to so feet high, and he says Here's
a piece of woods you could get $4,000
for. White oak is awful high.
''We cot to the pasture, and l says,
Them cattle looks poor He says,
It's cause they amt taken care of.
There was bunch of sheep and the
tenant Walter Tells was coming along
with them. I asked Tells how much
sheep sold for and he says 81 to So.
We were starting towards my build
ing and I asked Tells how much land
sells for thereabout. He didn't an
swer. Then he said, How much is
Better asking your. says, 'One
hundred and ten dollars an acre Then
he says, land sells for 5000 an acre
hereabouts and if you got this for
S110 an acre you got a bargain.
Rough Place to Live In.
"Then we saw the buildings, and ]
said, That's a rough place to live,'
but Mr.. Better says, This is a warm
country But I didn't like it. Joe
come out of the barn. There was
fresh plowed land, and Mr.. Better
kicked the dirt, and it stuck to his
shoes. He says, 'Aint that pretty
dirt ?"
"We told him we didn't want the
farm after we got to Simpsons. We
told Mr.. Better we didn't like the
place at all. Mr.. Better, Tomlinson,
Joe and got into the wagon, Mr.. Bet
ger driving. He said Well go back
and see the place again We said we
didn't want to go back, we saw the
place. He said You didn't see it
enough He drove towards Barnhill
and Joe said, "Where are you going,
We stopped in corn crib and smoke
house. Better pulled out some corn
and said, Look at this nice corn, all
in the barn We asked if the barn
belonged on the farm and he said
Yes. 1t was wonderful corn, / took
one ear and Joe took two ears. The
plaintiffs claim that they learned lat
er that this crib was not on the Better
farm.
Have to Pay Tenant $500.
How they finally decided to take the
his place was taken by John Micko-
loyck, and how they finally went to
the farm after purchasing it for 500
an acre was then recounted by Halicke.
He said that after the contract was
signed and the deeds transferring the
properly were signed Better told them,
not before, that the tenant, Walter
Tells, would have to be paid $500
before they could get possession of the
farm. They paid it, the first half to
Better and the rest to Tells. Photo
graphs of the buildings" on the farm
were introduced in evidence. They
showed a rude one room shack end a
barn that was scarcely bigger, and
which leaned to the windward.
The hardships Of the place and what
they learned of the soil and the alleg-
ed true value Of the>land later was
then recounted by Halicke.