The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-30
EDITION N
LAND SWINDLES.
IoMn In n Rad OdOr-Ueuvy Investments In
Wildcat Real Estate.

The Chicago Tribune has the following
The Tribune's late article upon the Iowa land
swindle has caused greater tutter in real estate
circles, not only in this city, but elsewhere, than
they have experienced for long time Large
numbers of people have got to comparing notes,
and the consequence is that the developments oi
the land-swindling operations in Northwestern
Iowa have begun to assume elephantine pro-
portions.
One old gentleman, residing in the southern
part of this city, in reading over the abstract OF
title published with the former article IN TINS
paper, was f0rCibly struck with the similarity
OF the numbers of some of the sections mentioned
there with others of those in the same locality
which for long time he had imagined to be his
own possessions. An investigation followed,
which ended i'm his being shown that the larger
part of 10000 acres of land, which he and his
son had lately purchased from agents, at rates
varying from 20 cents to S3 an acre, was a
bogus purchase, from which they would not rea-
lie one-fftieth part of the money invested
In another instance, on Wednesday OF last
week banker on Dearborn street was instructed
to make certain purchases of Iowa lands. The
banker was shown one OF the ABSTRACTS OF ttle,
which are generally exhibited on these occa-
sions, and, without any hesltancy paid over his
counter in the neighborhood of $4,000 for
certain tracts which were therein de-
scribed; and only had his attention called
to his worthless bargain by the publication of
the swindle in last weeks Tribune.
There are scores of other just such cases in
this city, and each day adds to the list of people
who have found themselves VlctlmlZed in the
most complete manner. As the case at present
stands, even those who have unquestiOned titles
TO Iowa lands do not seem to feel satisfied until
they have made assurance doubly sure, and
had their titles to the lands legally investi-
gated.
These swindling operations have not been con-
fined to Chicago. There is every reason to be-
heve that duplicates of these abstracts have not
only been used in the principal Western cities,
but as far east as New York. There is no esti-
mating the number of times that these North
western Iowa lands may have been sold and re-
sold or the number of people that have been
swindled out of their money by the transfers
Already parties in Detroit, Northern Michigan,
and Milwaukee are writing on here to find out
what further developments have been made.
No arrests have as yet been attempted, be-
cause of the exceeding difficulty there would be
in proving a case of fraud. As matter of law,
no party can be charged criminally in these
transactions where it appears he has II color of
title to the warrant. The abstracts which are
used here by the pretended sagents of the pre-
tended owners of the lands are perfectly legiti-
mate on their faces, and whatever criminality
there is in the business can easily be shifted upon
the county officers of the localities in Iowa
where these lands are said to be situated.
1t behooves the proper Iowa authorities to
look after this matter. If, it is charged, all
the county officers in the northwestern counties
of that State are elected in the interests of
spectators, and to further just such swindles as
this, the sooner they are removed or indicted the
better will it be for the hitherto fair reputation
of that young and growing State.
AS the case now stands, the market, in this
city at least for lands in Northwestern Iowa, is
exceedingly dull and fiat. There are no trans
fers being made whatever.