Children Fight to Reclaim Property Sold by Their Father

Charles Wist yesterday filed a petition in the superior court for the appointment of a guardian ad litem. Wist was born October 26, 1874, and with his brother George and sister Laura Teresa, are the surviving children of Marion and Phillip Wist. The mother died intestate in Kitsap County July 8, 1878. During her lifetime she and her husband had acquired the following property: Lot 11, block 81, Central Seattle; lot 2, block 84, Central Seattle; lots 6, 7 and 8, block 27, in Denny and John Denny's plan of North Seattle. The property was community property. The three children, as the sole heirs, became the joint owners of an undivided one-half of the property on the death of the deceased. There were no debts, liens or claims of any kind against the property and no letters of administration were taken out. Since Mrs. Wist's death, however, it is alleged that the father has made deeds of warranty purporting to convey to sundry persons all of the property described. By these conveyances Catherine Wist claims to own lot 11 in block 81 and lot 2 in block 84 of Central Seattle, and lot 6 in block 27 of Denny's and John Denny's plan of North Seattle. Martin Paup claims to own lot 7, in block 27, in the Dennys' plan of Seattle; to Daniel O'Leary was conveyed lot 8, in block 27, of Denny's plan of North Seattle. The petition states that O'Leary executed an alleged pretended mortgage on the lot to the Lombard Investment Company, which company assigned a month later to the North American Insurance Company. By means of sundry conveyances on the part of the father, John H. McGraw believes that he is the owner of lot 9, in block 17, of Central Seattle. It is alleged that at the time the alleged deeds of warranty were delivered the alleged pretended owners of the land were acquainted with the true condition of affairs and knew that the children of the deceased were as heirs of their mother the real owners of half of the estate.