NEALE v. HAGTHROP.—3 BLAND. 543

property and estate, by the defendants Hagthrop and wife; and
for the purpose, and with the intent of defrauding the other heirs
oi Anthony Hook out of their legal portions thereof; that the de-
fendants Hagthrop and wife, have never accounted for any part of
the said property; that they had conveyed a part of the teu acre
lot to the defendant McMechen, and a part of the piece of land at
Fells Point to the defendant Bennett; and that the other defend-
ants then held portions of the property mentioned in the deed
of the 17th of August, by leases, or other conveyances derived
from the defendants Hagthrop and wife and the defendant Mc-
Mechen.

Whereupon the bill prayed, that the defendants might be com-
pelled to account for the whole of the property which passed into
the hands of the said Johu Hook, and winch is mentioned and
described in said deed of trust, together with the profits which
have arisen therefrom since the same has been in their possession;
excepting such part thereof as they are entitled by law to retain
in * right of the said John Hook, as one of the heirs-at-law
of the said Anthony Hook; and that the plaintiff may have 556
such other and further relief in the premises as the nature of the
case may require, &c.

To this bill the defendants MoMechen, Cator, Moore and Hughes
put in their answers on the 10th of July, 1821.

McMechen answered separately, which he styles his answer, "to
the bill of complaint of James Neale and other representatives of
Anthony Hook, deceased;" and says that by a deed, bearing date
on the 9th of September, 1803, the defendants Hagthrop and wife,
in consideration of $400, conveyed to him four acres or thereabouts
of the ten acre lot; which deed, exhibited with and made part of
his answer, after referring to the lease from Richard Moale to An-
thony Hook, says, "and whereas the said Anthony Hook did after-
wards, by his 'deed of assignment duly executed, acknowledged
and recorded among the land records of Baltimore County Court,
for the consideration mentioned, assign, transfer, and set over unto
the aforesaid John Hook, his executors, administrators and assigns,
all and singular the aforesaid piece of ground and premises. And
whereas the said John Hook has since departed this life and the
said Barbara hath obtained letters of administration on his estate,
and since then intermarried with the aforesaid Edward Hag-
throp;" that under this deed he took possession of the land so
conveyed, and rented it as a brick-yard for several years, and paid
the taxes up to the year 1819, " and during all which time several
of the said complainants resided in the neighborhood of said land,
well knowing that this defendant had so become the purchaser of
the said land." That he advertised the land to be leased at public
sale, at which sale the defendants Moore, Hughes and Cator, be-
came purchasers of leases; "that the said sale was in the neigh-