The Portland daily press., 1877-10-20
GREAT TEXAS LAND SWINDLE.
Wholesale Forgery and Incendiarism-
Arrest of the Perpetrators.

Wholesale Forgery and Incendiarism-
Arrest of the Perpetrators.
KANSAS CITY, Oct. ia gigantic swindle
was brought to light here today by the arrest of
j. r. Ham, Edward L. Stevens and George w.
Miller. on requistion from Gov. Hubbard of
Texas, on tie charge of forging land titles and
issuing deeds for large tracts of land in Texas
The swindle originated with Ham and Thomas
Tuilis of Austin Ham lives here, and through
his persuasions Stevens and Miller we're brought
into the scheme. Stevens is lawyer aud son
of Judge Stevens, and is credited with having
gone into the operation innocently at first by
buying IA, 900 acres of Texas LAID of fam, and
subsequently became infatuated with the mon
ey making plan and acted freely with other par
ties engaged in it. and was known in Texas as
a Kansas City lawyer. The better to enable
them to carry out the scheme, Ham and his
confederates had made duplicated copies, no.
tarial and other SEALS and obtained the sigma
tures of many officials They also printed
blank forms and perfect copies of deeds neces-
sary for their operations. All titles and pat
ents representing either state or government
lands used by them were forged. An imme
amount of land has been conveyed by them un-
der many aliases. About year ago the atten-
tion of Gov. Hubbard was called to the matter,
and on looking into it m0nstrous swindle was
detected involving both Texas and the United
States The authorities at Washington were
informed, and special agent Foster sent here,
where he obtained a clue, which has been close.
ly followed ever since, resulting in the simulta-
neous arrest today of sixty persons in different
parts of the country who belong to the gang.
No less than thirteen court houses have been
burned the past year to destroy evidence that
could be brought against the swindlers. Ham,
Stevens and Miller left for Texas today in
charge of officers from that state.
ST.. LOUIS, Oct. 19-The Kansas City Tines
in its account CT the Texas land swindle, re-
ported last night says: One of the largest bank
hnn in n CT Tav fxrO h,v,
ers, two real estate brokers and two ATTORNEYS
10 Indianapolis, and others in Cincinnai
Cleveland and PittsDurg are to be or have ben
arrested for being connected with the fraud.
1t also says there has been well organized
system of forgery in full practice in this wet
ern country for the past eight or nine yeas.
Inc same organization which is now forcing
the Texas scrip on the market, has been PEREZ
trauug some of the most terrible forgeres ever
penetrated. Their mode of working is tbs.
Ihey nave agents in each district, with st.
tnrneys In the cities. An old man or womiu
falls SICK. and the doctors give him or her Up
as likely to die. In some places they havea
doctor as one Of their agents and he assures he
death of the victim at the proper time. a
person having been assured to die ard the gag
ha vipg examined the records CT the lands je-
longing to the doomed person, the heirs ire
sought ana duly examined. Then the deds
are prepared il due form and woman or msn.
each mberssof the gang, appear before a
justice or notary and the dying mans property
Is duly decided away before his death and that
OF his wife, and the same are placed on record.