The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-06
A GREAT LAND ROBBERY.
THE MOST srUPENDoUs JOB OF THE CENTURY
A CALIFORNIA LAND RING GETS CONGRESS TO

From the San Francisco Chronicle. April ISL
The designs and fruits OF the Desert Land BILL which
was pushed through Congress the heller sketer Of
the closing hours, are already developing themselves
In most startling manner and u IS readily perce we'd
at this early uncture in whose special exclusive
interest the priceless boon obtained The oscusi-
BILE intent OF this measure the reclamation OF large
areas OF land In THE State, Nevada and Oregon, and
the Territories OF Washington. Idaho Montana Utah.
Wyoming, Arizona. New Mexico and Dakota for agri-
cultural purposes by means Of irrigation and by those
concerned IN engineering 1t through II was lauded as
one OF she most important projects that had ever
been conceived for accelerating tho progress and
enhancing the general wealth OF the Pacific
slope Tho proposition looked very plausible upon It's
face. and few people who gave tho subject attention
could have imagined that i amounted TO anything
more than expressed In the letter OF the bill But
once clinched by the approval Of Congress- prestoa
cat OF the most prodigious dimensions energies from
the bottom Of the meal tub The provisions OF the bill
may thus be briefly summarized ANY citizen OF the
United States or other person who may ac his dec.
aration 10 become Citizen is ent,led take up $40
acres OF land, or as much less as convenience may
dictate, on payment OF twenty 1--we per acre and
making his declaration under oath that he intends TO
reclaim such land by irrigation. AS preliminary 10 The
ming OF such declaration IL must be satisfactorily
shown 70 the register and receiver OF the district
timber or mineral deposits thereon, and incapable
OF producing any agricultural crop without the means
OF irrigation To this end the aidavls OF at least two
disnte rested and credible witnesses taken before
court OF record arc necessary II Is also compulsory
upon tue applicant Tor the land grant TO show IN oGho
same manner that he has the water
right tor eiecting tho irrigation OF the land 10 DO ap
propriated Az any time before tho expiration OF three
years from the date OF hlins tho declaralon upon
making satisfactory proof the register and receiver
OF the reclamation Of the land taken, tho
0f an additional sum OF II per acre, patent shall
Issue therefor The net is quite loosely constructed
and contains few ingenious ioophocs arranged
with evident design by the trainers OF the bin ana
for tho special advantage Of those who
we're at the bottom Of the whole business II ia now
quite manifest that the reclamation OF deserts orig
nally contemplated pertains this State and that the
Territories have been admitted to the benclcen priv
lcges OF the act IN spirit or charitable vourtesy-or
otherwise, TO give the bill a more ausplcous aspect
Immediately ON notification being received OF the
approval OF tho Desert Reclamation act tho business
scale, and, strangely enough, the seat OF initlalory
operations was IN Kern county In this county IS SIT.
uated much OF the most productive and fertile land In
the STATE out ia consequence Of an unusually dry
son has stood In need OF irrigation and thereby has
been suddenly converted into barren desert every
locality throughout the county where titles 10 land
had not been perfected About week aitor
notification had been received at The Land
Office OF tho Vsalia district TO proceed under the
provisions OF the act declarations OF intention TO re-
claim fully 25 acres OF this garden OF the state
had been fled and on tho 10Th OF this month the
'dcser" grab in Kern county had reached tho enor.
nous extent OF 600 1t may hero DO stated
shat all The odd sections granted to the Southern Pnc
Railroad Company by tho govern uaent through Kern
county, have been purchased by w. & Carr j. b. Hag-
gin AMI Lloyd Tevis and the present grab taking in
all the intervening sections portions as have
not yet boon secured in titles 70 actual soltrs pre-
sumaby In the interest Of the persons named The
been sold to the OF 81 so Dor acre ana
was being taken up AS rapidly land any other part
OF tho State large number OF settlers who had been
unable to perfect their titles Immediately at the old
rates, but who would have quickly avaled themselves
OF the privilege Of paying twenty-five cents down and
the additional dollar also. In many have been liz
lodged by tins merciless and voracious grab which
has como upon them unawarcs Thousands OF actual
settlers who have taken up lands anu improved them
In the Vlsaa and Los Angeles districts are doomed 10
be swept trou their homssteads by TINS gigantic fraud
To illustrate the system OF tho grab OF decara.
lions filed the 3lst OF March and ID OF April Is
gwen. In whose interest tho first gang desert re-
chalmers have ..decared" Is left Tor the reader 10 IN
tor alter mentioning the TACT that with two
employees In the mint they all attaches Of the Gus
tom House i Will be noticed that the deserts d,scov-
cred by these cntcrprisng rcclaimers, individually
vary greatly in area. good proportion being up 10
tho uli limit Of $40 acres, while some have been
unable to snatch desert exceeding the extent Of thirty
or forty acres This discrepancy explained by the
TACT that actual settlers havo titles here and
c.can sweep the great desert .srabbers are
taking up all the unoccupiod land, wherever found,
explorers VII attaches Of tho Custom House. with
the exception OF couple Of representatives OF the
mint II VIII be noted that after The remainder OF
the gang had gone over tho ground Collector shan
non quietly wont out and picked upon full sized $40
acre desert:J. b. Butler, 49, acres: T. v. Blunt 800
J. II. McNabD $50; G. :. ouilon. $50; Z. H. Morton,
4so; T. McCairiey, GAO; s. NJ. Foger, 40; j. G. sar.
gent 40; f. Cicott 40; g. Laws 4sO; q. H. Garland
100; Y. f. Jerome, so; q. Mcdonald, so; H. Il VIII.
iams, $40; r. Rogers, So 4. b. shannon s4O The fol-
loving ss of names and acreage supposed to pertain
to the interests Of Hasgln lev,s, who many odd
SECTIONS Of the railroad lands by the
ranges now taken up with the regularity OF stripes on
zcbra:-LIoyd Tevis, 400 acres; Carter revis 400;
r. B. MINOR 800; George Hearst, do; c. r. Grca.,
house, go; X J. Graham, Gao; Henry A. Brown, $40
Dodge, 4so G. Morton, lso G. w. McK SeUeG lao o.
T. q. McAnee, 100: W. ?. Willard, 600; W. W. Blow.
$50; C. j. Wiley, SO; O. T. Wiley SO; George J. Maggie,
100 O's''
| rHx BONANZA GANG.
These desert reclaimers, who also grabbing up
the barfenness OF Kern county, lie connected
la some way with wonderfully progressive bo-
nanza firm. who did not start in az carly as the
| belorc named champions of civilization. IL IL
apprehended, however, that in u subsequent
delugc OF "declaralons'' filed In the visaiia
| Land ONCE ON tho 10Th u this month tho bonanza
desert grab attained 70 fair prvportionA The follow
ing were tho pioneer explorers Tor the bonanza firm,
acres; W. Willis. $50; Y. q. Fay 800; Oliver Edrdge
SO; X H. Lucas, $50; +. q. Plalt, 2l0; A. T.. Davis
oio sna'clsrs at Largo-Ihe following named re.
inst ut Vsaia can on.y be distIng uished vaguely as
desert snatchers Ut large; but there little question
that most, Il not all, are SIMPLY men OF straw, VINO
| have "decarod" to aid the schemes OF some ono or
another hercuean grabbcr engaged In tho present
consiracy TO get possession OF the entire public
lands in the state that worth grabbing Charles
Burrc, $40 acros q. NJ Leavy, 4So; l.. A. Leavy IzO;
J. c. Cousins, 4so John Is. Lewis 100; X H. Ba,,urs
MoAee l2o; W. @. Long, $50; W. J. Jonos, i29; K
II. Lucas, IT.. 100; j. g. Lucas, $50; John Il Read,
$40; j. X Goodrich, tsoi Thonas Brown so; George
r. Won Rhein, 100; Howard Morton, $50; H. L. Wheeler,
so; y. ID. Sharpe $40; Joseph Clark. 40; ID. r. Her.
ring, 80; Il. d. Farrngton, 100; A, Gecghugan, So
he grand total OF the desert grab lar
10 "a, 44U acres An additional grab OF fully equal pro-
portions hiod the 18Th inst, ana since tina,
date the business oil declaration has been gong
an Increased ratio good portion OF tho land
now taken Is ~ the vicinity Of the famous
Haagiu CARTS Kern Island farm, a tract that a
noted OF the garden spots tho state All thu
declarations now beng flied In Kern county
To before ]. h. Sawyer, Clerk OF tho United states
Circuit Court In this Each declaration Is
niod by the afiidavits Of I. X Filcbrown and r. B.
Taylor, surveyors certifying that the lands DESERT
theron nre OF tho desert description led
| BY the act These gentlemen probably havo mental
reservation regards the Interpretation OF tho
by the trainers OF the act IL will thus soon thai
the prospects Tor future settlers this state Ia some
what gloomy, except Tor such OF the Scandinav Wan
race dispOeo themselves comfortably upon The