Mr. Brady's Dream House

To make room for a veterans' hospital near Cleveland in 1949, the Veterans Administration bought 14 big houses in a choice suburban section. Among them was the nine-bedroom, three-story home of Alexander Brady, a retired Erie Railroad executive who had paid $12,000 for the house in 1943, sold it to the Government for $31,500. (Since appraised at $67,857.) Brady and neighbors were allowed to rent their homes on a month-to-month basis "until such time as the premises are ... actually needed for purpose for which purchased." Later, the VA changed its mind about building the hospital, continued to rent the houses.

Recently, the VA made a surprising discovery: while 13 of the tenants were paying rents in line with the prevailing level, Brady was not. The VA had signed a contract with Brady to accept $1 from him "in full payment of all rental during the term of occupancy." Just how this had happened, the VA did not know. Last week the Government brought suit to evict Brady. At week's end Brady, 69, was unruffled by the suit, looked forward to a ripe, rent-free old age.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.