Show tj r N 0 D r d 0 I J L F LN ta pf is fT w Nya x Per t eZy Ii th I I I I II I i Ii c cr r V 22 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON l lLY II n W Gunn nR n merchant of li R Va a exploded n bombshell in the tho Old Do- Do Dominion Do Dominion minion and sent state of- of officials of officials historians and at- at attorneys at attorneys torne s 's scurrying ing to dig minion In the archives b by declarIng declaring declaring ing that lie he is the real owner of the greater part E of the land upon Ullon which E stands the state capItol and that he lie wants to be paid for it iton iton Iton on the basis of its original valuation made In 1781 of some plus compound Interest at the rate of 3 per cent a year Jear for 1 HG years And that has set some of the mathematIcIans mathematicians clans to figuring just how colossal n a sum would be a principal of plus compound Interest for nearly a century and a half The Richmond merchant says that the stale of Virginia can not IHo any records to prove that the land condemned In 1784 l for a public square was ever er paid for and sa says s 's he will ask relief from the general assembly at Its next nest session the if-the stale refuses to consent to a n suit alleging breach of contract Falling In that step Mr Ir Gunn has been Leen advised by hy counsel that he can cango cango cango go Into the federal courts on the grounds of the lie violation of constitutional constitutional property rights and he lie affirms lie he can prove pro his bis contention b by exist exIst- exIstIng existing ing lag l records cords Mi Mr Ir Gunn Gunn points to a n letter sent to Thomas Jefferson then am ambassador to France by y members of a legislative commission askin asking Mr Ir Jefferson to engage an architect In Paris aril to pre pre- prepare prepare pre prepare pare plans for a state capitol and as- as assuring assuring as assuring suring the lie author of ot the Declaration of Independence that the hm hill on which Gunns Gunn's yellow ellow house stands and which you rou favored as the best situation for a state stale capitol contin contin- continues continues continues ues to be preferred d by us The original Jefferson letter Is In Inthe Inthe Inthe the custody of the College of or William and Mary Ia The original condemnation order order has lias been placed on record In Inthe Inthe the Henry Count County court after re- re remaining re remaining obscure fur tor nearly years ears Mr Gunn has lias been heen working on his claim claim since childhood but made malle no effective headway ay until the original condemnation jurys jury's report was un- un unearthed un unearthed carthell from dusty archives T Thirty years ears ago I 1 met a man who was was then ninety years ears old Mr Gunn said recently Asking me If It I 1 were a descendant of or the old Gunn family of or he told me that his father who worked for the state government had Informed him that the state of Virginia never ne paid for forthe forthe forthe the land condemned for use as a apu pu public Ilc square and the permanent seat or of the state government go The reason rea- rea reason rea reason son he lie said was that lint Ule lie condemnation condemnation condemnation tion proceedings records had been heen lost and that no claim against the state be proved In court I I was told b by my family as a boy that my family never had been com com- compensated compensated compensated by y the tate slate My I efforts were blocked until the flue original con con- condemnation condemnation con condemnation order was found The pa- pa papers papers pa papers pers b by mistake were sent In liSt to the tho city clerks clerk's office onice for recording Instead of or to the clerk of or the Henry papers County court Those papers plus maps uncovered and the letter to Thomas Jefferson which shows Mr r Jefferson had Inspected the old Gunn plot while governor go of Virginia a and 1111 ore favored 1 It for a 11 state capitol site speak for themselves I 1 have been Informed by Auditor C Lee Moore he lie can find no record of the state having paid for the prop prop- property property property erty It condemned In liSt I took toole the matter up with Go Governor D Byrd rd towar toward the close of or his administration Time governor Jo after referring my letter leUe to the secretary of the llie com com com- commonwealth commonwealth for Investigation informed me that the facts were as ns I had stated them to be lie Insofar as the existence of nn any record of or payment by the state was concerned In the tho judgment of or legal advisers time the mere condemnation proceedings In the absence of pa payment did not Dot take the title to the lie property from my ancestors 1 feel I have a n substantial substantial claim to ownership of the tho land landon landon on which the state capitol now stands I 1 cannot sue time tile state for breach of contract without the states state's consent and the statute of or limitation has lias ex- ex expired ex expired But I 1 believe the people of Virginia irginia would like to see the proper settlement made malIc Nor is this Richmond merchant the only one who Is interested in this mat mat- matter matter matter ter for he lore declares that other old Richmond families among them the Snyders Curries Archibald CIU Corys S 'S PrIces and Coches had half half- halfacre half acre acre lots condemned In 1 1 and pres pres- day ent-day descendants of those families are watching with Interest Ills his move for restitution Nor Is this Virginia case unique for Oklahoma has a somewhat simi simi- similar similar lar tar one only the No 1 0 Mans Man's Ians Ian's Land there has lias Infinitely greater potential riches to make It worth fighting for forIt It Is a small triangular tract of about two acres In the heart of the great Oklahoma City oil fields which has been lIeen lost for CO GO years No 1 Boomer Bogner homesteaded it after the run ruu into Oklahoma In ISSa 1559 The sUf e surveyors ors and seemed to have missed missell It and It Is still government go soil soH No one seems to have hao dreamed that this valuable parcel of land was avail all available available able to a claimer until recently when Forrest Parrott of Oklahoma City guided ulde b by maps which others hall had seen no doubt but faHe failed to realize their significance be began an a bit it of prospect ing In the archives of the lie ter of dee deeds s at the Oklahoma county court house What lie he found was almost unbelievable a a plot of unclaimed land sandwiched right In the middle of one of the rich richest st oil areas of the world So Mr Ir Parrott stage staged the run or of 1930 With an armful of stakes lie he dashed out to the lie little silver sliver of river bottom land and drove e his Ins pegs Then as In the prairie schooner and sunbonnet days of 4 42 92 years ears ago Mr Parrott set about making his ills claim legal lIe He went back to the court court- courthouse courthouse house court house and filed an affidavit of his claim setting forth he was filing on onIt onit onIt It as a homestead and nud claiming priority priority rights as ns an service ex man The triangular shape of the neg neg- neglected neglected piece of oC land was caused b by bythe the antics of the time North Canadian river 11 er When the government sUne surveyors ors made malIe their t survey of pf 1870 they did an e excellent job for working worling out time the river bottom Into up lots but the they forgot this one tract The tract Is In the time center of the most Intense drilling activity In time the Oklahoma City oil field nelll half Half a mile east Is T B H Slicks Slick's No 1 Bailey Dalley 17 17 day a ada day barrel well and the same distance south time the 2 a day barrel a well owned by Wirt And yet et these are only two ex- ex examples ex examples amples of queer claims which result from sUl e surveyors ors or errors or some sOllie up slip In registering deeds or orsome orsome orsome some other title to land A curious case was reported from from New ew York re- re recently re- re recently re recently and added another Item lIem to the record of priced high real estate In that city where some plots of ground are literally wort worth more than thun the number of or silver dollars It would take taketo taketo taketo to cover them In this case a n pur pur- purchaser purchaser pur- pur purchaser chaser of real estate paid a total of SI OO for lS square Inches of or land land- land O a square Inch It came en me about In Inthis inthis Inthis this way One of or the Mrs rs wanted to buy a plot of ground in East I-ast PIety PIety- seventh Fifty seventh se street between First avenue and the river on which once stood five brownstones built In the seven seven- sevena a by one lIar e Harvey Dennis h a consid- consid lie le realtor of his Ills day Ilay Naturally prospective purchaser wanted to toLt toLe Lt sure she had hall a clear claim to the title so she had hall experts of the Title Guarantee r Trust company look It up For what If after aCter the house were erected somebody should hob up and a n strip of or property eighteen en feet by one inch running rumoring right through the building Such a demand would form a n grave grac crisis crisis crisis- In this tills Instance a hunt was made for the Dennis heirs It was as hard to find them It took two to months during which time more that OO letters were written Finally they were located There were sIx heIrs in all nIl The situation was ex- ex explained explained ex explained The title company compan people finall finally got gotthem gotthem gotthem them to sign a quitclaim for OO each or 1200 l OO In all nil flint Isn't much but then neither was the land to which the they were unintentionally the heirs It amounted in fact to just one and a half halt square feet But If it New ew York can claim the tho smallest and the highest priced pieces of real estate Chicago can point with i prill pride to the worlds world's costliest cow i path which runs right through a mod mod- modI modern modem modern I j ern em n story 22 skyscraper known as ns the West Monroe l building The cow path dates from the early JOs JO's when Dr DI Jared Bassett bought the entire Clark dark street frontage feet feet deep between Monroe and Madi Madl- Madison son streets In the center of the block he built hIs Ills home with a n cow barn for his cow Bessie As time went on Doctor Bassett sold most or of his property but ah a always s 's with a n pro pro- provision provision vision ision for tor a foot 10 easement casement so that Bessie could make her wa way to the j barn So In 10 1025 3 when time tile West Mon Mon- Monroe Mon Monroe Ion Ion- roe Building corporation took over the lease for the time property they found the flaw which preserved the path but too toolate toolate toolate late to do anything about It Time The deed leed was subjected to litigation and It stood the time test While their solution of the problem was a n little costly It was rather unusual for they usurped time the air all rights and left Bessie her 10 foot 10 foot path with an foot 18 clearance just In case she should desire to bring In a wagon load of has bar some time Above the root 18 level the building juts out at right angles covering time the cow path and extending upward for 20 stories While set hack bull buildings dings are common sights In Chicago this Is the only set out building on record And the space lost would bring about 12 12 In yearly earl rentals Another curious situation caused by byn bya bya n a flaw In a title was reported Prom New York recently The stor story of It I ns as told In time the New rew York World fol follows fol- fol follows follows lows I A legal catch In the title of what used to be known as City Hall place place- place a n street only about feet Ceet long lint ran from In back of the building at Duane street to Pearl street street-Is Is holding up plans for the I proposed civic center around the new county court house and Foley tle square The riddle which Assistant Cor Cor- Corporation Corporation Counsel Joel J Squire of or the bureau of or street openings Is charged charge to solve sol Is what can the city do with the forty foot roadway which bIsects one of or the most valuable plots of real estate In New York Part of this riddle Is what will the Church of St Andrew which stands on the west of time tile old street do about Its parish house which stan stands s on the east cast of it It Under time the plan drawn by Joseph Johnson City Hall hail place was to be scrapped to make room for time tile I new federal building and the parIsh house was to be torn down and re- re rei rebuilt re rebuilt i built on plot adjacent to the church This Tills new plot was to be exchange by the time city for time flie old site of the tho parish house A section of or City Hall place was Included In the new lIew site But when the church asked askell for a title deed eed to the land the tho city was surprised to find that It could not be given I en The reason was wai that I the city owns only right of way ease ease- easements easements I ments which were obtained in from the original owners of or the plot i but that some unknown heir of or the thc orIginal owner s holds th the thi free title Had nad the city or II federal government go actually erected a R costly building on part of the old street and hall had the true owners turned h rnell up and anil set forth their claims the t e mone money loss to the city would have ha l h cn en tremendous according to real estl e est e authorities Old City CIt Hall place Is estimated ns as asworth asworth worth close to 1000 Mr Ir Squire says lie he Is not read ready even en to venture n a Rue as to what can be done Ilone about It a by Western N m |