Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1858-05-08
From the Dubuque Herald
SWINDLING LAND BE0KERS,

| dO itIOob OAtOiiSlfO Vi SWlUUllug
by means of fraudulent land sales ever
carried on has just been discovered in the
northern part of this State. Usage, in
Mitchell county, appears to be the head
quarters of a gang of swindling land bro
kers and counterfeiters, who have been
imposing upon and defrauding the public
for nearly year past. They are a regu-
larly organized secret society, with all the
pass words, signs, grips and oaths required
to bind them together. The members of
this society of robbers are said to be scat
tered throughout Northern Iowa a d even
to some extent in Southern Minnesota.
John G. Bishop and B. F. Holbrook of
Usage, and Samuel B. Frizell of Floyd
co, nty, are mentioned as the prime
movers and head men in all the yillanies of
the gang.
We are assured that the association of
bogus land agents, and their plans, just
discovered, was the most complete and stu
pendous arrangement for regular system
of land swindling ever known in the West.
Nearly one hundred thousand dollars
north Of land had been disposed of by
them before they were detected. 1t was,
IF course, all land to which they had no
title whatever, and yet so skillfully did
they carry on their operations that it was
impossible to discover that they were i'm
posters. The Usage Iowon of the 10th
thus describes their mode eff operating:
Warranty deeds Of tax land, were heap
ed upon each other, until perfect laby-
rinth was formed, in whose inrracacies the
victim was easily entangled, indeed SO fair
upon the face were these transactions,
that purchasers were well satisfied of the
validity of titles, after having sent agents,
who. had every access to the records to in
yestigate the matter. Certificates purpor
Ing to have been signed by the Recorde-
to this couuty-and we believe other coun-
ties are not exempt-were held BY the
swindlers, which are known, and can be
proved to be absolute forgeries. These
are supposed to have been obtained thro'
The instrumentality of one Crawford, who,
report has it-and we have but little
doubt of its correctness-is skilful coun-
tersviter, and one of the principal leaders
of this gang.
Among the tracts sold were sections one
and two of township one hundred, in range
seventeen, which land does not exist, as
every one in the least acquainted with land
matters is aware. Other titles were fund
ed on warranty deeds, appearing upon the
records as from James E. Wyche, in whose
name the land was entered at the public
land sales of last May, and which was all
bonded to parties at that time, and which
bonds have not yet expired These deeds
were o timed by the PRESERVATION of Wyche
by some man, before A. d. Curtis, ESQ.,,
of Burr Oak, who took the acknowledge
,nents, convinced probably, of the pretend
ed Wyehe's identity.
About eight thousand acres were OBJ
tanned, and thus, provided with abstracts
Of titles ana forged certificates, they pro
ceeded to Madison, Milwaukee and Chi
cago, where it has been folnl by the mves-
LEGATION, SO far, that about twenty thous-
and acres of bogus land were disposed of.
So shrewdly has the thing been managed,
nothing was known until the sufferers ar
rived from Chicago and Milwaukee, and
partial disclosures were made. Upon their
appearance, Bishop and Holbroo4 left sud
denly for parts unknown.