Eames Had Levied On Large Amount Of City Property

EAMES HAD LEVIED ON LARGE AMOUNT OF CITY PROPERTY

The mention in another column of the death of Wilfred B. Eames in Kalamazoo as the result of being struck by a street car calls to mind many tales of probably the most noted litigant in Washtenaw county in many years. If ever a man was insane on the subject of going to law, Eames was that man.

Tall, dark complexioned, of nervous temperament, a good talker, he soon gave himself away by the bitterness with which he spoke of judge, executor, or any party who in any way opposed him in acquiring what he undoubtedly believed were his rights.

While he was engaged in many law suits, probably the best known case was the Morgan litigation. Beaten in one place, he would begin at another and his inventive faculties which kept him in funds for carrying on costly litigation, also kept him inventing new ways of getting at the Morgan estate when the courts decided against him.

He was the son of Mrs. Lucy Eames, who was a sister of E. W. Morgan, a well known lawyer and real estate man in Ann Arbor's early history. It was claimed by Eames that Morgan owed his sister many thousands of dollars. Morgan died poor, but his wife, Mrs. Lucy W. S. Morgan, left an estate when she died which was then estimated at nearly half a million. Eames claimed that this property really belonged to Morgan, who had transfererred it to his wife to defraud creditors. Eames was beaten in the circuit, the supreme and the federal courts. The courts held that he had been sleeping on his rights for too many years and was guilty of laches. All these transactions had taken place years before suit was commenced. The law suits were begun in Ann Arbor, in Watertown, N. Y., in Kalamazoo, in Cairo, III., besides the federal courts.

In the early history of Ann Arbor, Morgan, who was one of the donors of the University campus, had dealt very extensively in Ann Arbor real estate and at one time Eames levied on nearly every piece of real estate in the city that had ever passed through Morgan's hands. Of course these levies did not stand, but they caused a large number of people some worriment.

Prof. Otis C. Johnson was the executor of the estate of Lucy W. S. Morgan and upon him Eames poured out the vials of his wrath. Capt. Chas. W. Manly was at one time appointed administrator of the E. W. Morgan state, but failing to find anything to administer, Eames charged him with selling him out and a personal encounter followed. Judge Kinne decided against Eames and nothing was too harsh or malicious for Eames to say. And so the weary round of litigation kept up. It was as bad as the celebrated case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce.

Occasionally in Kalamazoo Eames would win a case, only to lose it some place else, and so Kalamazoo became a favorite place for Eames to start his suits from. At the time of his death he had two cases in the Kalamazoo circuit, noticed for trial at the May term. These cases are thus described in the Kalamazoo Telegraph:

"N. H. Stewart was the attorney for Mr. Eames in ejectment proceedings against Otis C. Johnson, for the estate of Lucy Morgan of Ann Arbor. Mr. Stewart won this suit for Mr. Eames and recovered possession of the factory on Michigan avenue in front of which Mr. Eames sustained fatal injuries. The Morgan heirs paid the cost of the suit and waited the statutory three years for a new trial. Mr. Stewart refused to try the case again and Mr. Eames employed Carney & Yaple. This suit is ready for trial at the coming term of court.

The other case pending is the suit of Emma L. Eames vs. the Lucy Eames estate. Mr. Eames sued the estate of his mother to recover for the maladministration of the estate of his father, Lovett Eames. This suit was brought in the name of his wife. Damages in the amount of $20,000 are claimed. Residence property on South street, now in the possession of Rose B. Nisbet for the Lucy Eames estate is involved in this estate.

As in his life he had a passion for litigation it is a strange fate that his death should also bid fair to create litigation with the Michigan Traction Co., whose car struck him.

Mr. Eames was born in Kalamazoo 55 years ago. Of a naturally inventive turn of mind he followed in the wake of his father, Lovett Eames, as an inventor. His father died when he was 15 years of age. Mr. Eames continued in this city for many years as an inventor. Later he moved to Cairo, Ill., to Evansville, Ind., to Cleveland, O., Rochester, N. Y., and several other cities. Several years were passed in Ann Arbor. His mother, Mrs. Lucy Eames, died in Kalamazoo three years ago.

He is survived by a widow, a daughter, Miss Lucy Eames, who is attending the medical department of the University of Michigan; three brothers and two sisters. They are Elisha of Watertown, N. Y., Charles of St. Louis, Gorden of Three Rivers and Mrs. Lucia H. F. Blount of Washington, D. C, and Mrs. C. DeFraff of Chicago. Mr. Eames was married for the second time about three years ago.

For some time past he has been engaged in the manufacture of a gas stove in the old factory on the asylum hill, in Kalamazoo, built over 40 years ago by his father.