Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-07-16
MORE LAND swINDLEs.

Some time ago the CHRONICLE alluded
to grand swindle in Scott county lands
perpetrated by some parties in Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati, and Memphis. The swindle
was put up in the shape of offering to par
ties paying certain costs and fees, free lots
in the town of "Rydersville, Scott coun-
ty.u OF course no such town exists save
on paper and the costs and fees demand
ed in advance were more than land is
worth per acre in some parts of the coun-
ty. ,,
We hear now of q still more outrageous
and gigantic swindle. 1t seems to have
been concocted in Pittsburgh, Pa, by par
ties, who have been for some time" "pros-
pecting" for minerals and mountain lands
in East Tennessee. Unfortunately, under
our laws patents or grants for lands can be
taken out at any time and for any lands.
A grant could be obtained any
day for the land upon which
Knoxville is built. OF course it would
pass no title, and would not be worth the
paper it was printed on, but still it would
be an "oflicial " paper, upon which some
fraud might be based. Taking advantage
of this rather loose law, parties have,
within the last year or two, taken out
grants for thousands of acres of land, the
title to which is beyond question fixed in
others. In Scott county, grants have been
taken out for some two hundred thousand
acres of land more than the tUho5e county
contains. In Anderson, Campbell and
Morgan counties, grants have been issued
in the same eXtravagant way. With these
papers the swindlers have gone to Pitts
burgh and other cities and put their
lands upon the market. They have been
offered cheap-so cheap that men who have
bought them were willing perhaps to
take some risk rather than in
cur expense in investigating titles.
Persons who did not have much shrewd-
ness have bought these lands and now
send on here to have their titles" exam
ined. One of our leading law firms has
the subject in hand and has already writ
ten exposing the very bold fraud. Inves-
legations are still being made for the pur-
pose of tracing their extent.
Now, these frauds have been concocted
by non-residents of Tennessee, aided per-
haps by some citizens of the State. The
fraud is a shallow one, but yet it must Sc
riously affect us. 1t will raise false cry
about our =" land tiues.n OF course no
shrewd business man buys land onyaOhere
without having the title first examined by
competent parties resident OF the section
where the lands were bought. The isola-
ton of Scott county, the general prevail
ing idea that East Tennessee is rich in
mineral wealth, the grants issued by
the State, all go to make the fraud possible
in community where immense fortunes
have been accumulated from iron and coal
lands, and where men can be found to
take some risk to catch such prizes.
We sincerely regret that this swindle
has been made possible by our loose sys-
tenn of issuing grants. Our land titles are
as secure as elsewhere. There is no more
risk i'll buying real estate in Tennessee
than elsewhere, providing buyers will
make such inquiries as ordinary prudence
suggests.
1t is some satisfaction too, to know that
the fraud is not domestic" Those who
suffer are victims to the rascality of their
own neighbors.
We hope to see the fraud thoroughly ex-
posed. When the facts are ready for pub
lication we shall give names and details.
We will see that the country is fully ad-
vised Of the villainous scheme