Tax Titles Are Questioned

TAX TITLES ARE QUESTIONED Wolverine Land Company are in Court SUITS HAVE BEEN FILED In Which the Concern Play an Important Part - The Titles They Claim.

Suits to set aside certain tax titles were begun Wednesday against the Wolverine Land Co. by Attorneys Arthur Brown and J. W. Bennett representing the complainants, one of whom is John Ellis, who owns certain property on Ann street between Huron Street and Fourth avenue.

The tax title to the property now owned by Ellis was sold to Hudson T. Morton in 1875, since which time it has passed into several hands. Lately the Wolverine Land company got hold of it from Morton, it is said, and now seek to have the present owners pay up back taxes, which it is said by their attorneys they know nothing of, they having bought the property believing that it was free at the time of their purchase from any back tax incumbrances. Another tax title which the Wolverine people have is that on the Michael Brenner property, and which they want to have a settlement made of. Messrs. Brown and Bennett, however, claim that the Wolverine concern have no valid title whatsoever, to the properties, as when the tax titles were sold, they were worth nothing, because of errors made by the assessors in valuing the properties at the time valuation was made by them.

A member of the Wolverine Land company, and who transacts most of the business of the company here, which is carried on from a residence on N. Ingalls street, Is D. W. Closser. He is said to have lately settled up an alleged tax title claim with Mrs. Mary E. Sudworth for $200. Attorney Arthur Brown, who is Mrs. Sudworth's attorney, said that if he had known of this transaction he would have contested the case in the courts before he would have permitted Mrs. Sudworth to pay over the money.

The Wolverine Land company is composed of Mr. Closser, a man named Ellis, who is said to be street car conductor at Jackson, attorney at Jackson named Woodliffe, and several others. The stockholders are said to be made up of people in Ann Arbor and Jackson. One of these gentlemen, when approached and asked what he knew of the company, requested that his name be not mentioned as he had merely been given some stock in the company for services he had rendered when it was incorporated.

Mr. Closser, who acts as president of the company, is a young law student recently graduated from the University.