Sharp County record., 1877-11-23
THE TEXAS LAND SWINDLE
How the Fraud Was Carried On-A Spec
linen of the worthless Title Deeds.

The principle topic ofgeneral conver-
sation yesterday was the recent arrest OF
Messrs. Ham, Miller and Stevens,
charged with forging land titles and sig
natures in the State of Texas. There
was little or nothing new developed with
regard to the arrests. The accused
persons were taken away and are by
this time in Groesbeck, the county seat
of Limestone County, where the indict-
ments were found against them. There
they will be confronted by various and
sundry charges and indictments from
other counties in Texas, and for time
at least there will be lots of work for the
lawyers. A closer investigation of the
land swindle changes its character some
what from its first aspect. 1t is not by
any means such large conspiracy as
the first sensational reports would have
led people to believe. The managers
and manipulators are fewer in number
than at first reported; but the sale Of
fraudulent Texas land scrip is none the
less extensive. It's being sold by agents
all over the country where people can
be found who will buy it. A lot of this
scrip was found in this city yesterday
by reporter. Three warrants, each
for GAO acres of land, had been left at a
wholesale liquor house on Delaware
Street as security for two gallons OF
whisky Mr.. E. A. Stevens introduced
the man named Walters mentioned in
Yesterdays Times, who was making
trades for merchandise, giving Texas
land scrip as security and payment.
One of the warrants was presented by
Mr.. w. C. Glass to the reporter, who
thereby became the proprietor of GAO
acres of land. The deed reads as fol-
lows:
No. 1885, Land Scrip. GAO Acres.
THE STATE OF TEXAS--GENERAL LAND
OFFICE.
This certificate entities John H. Brooks
and James Burleson, contractors for open
ing and cleaning out channel in the Sabine
River, to $40 acres Of land, to be located up
on any of the vacant and unappropriated
public domain of the State Of Texas, in ac-
Cordance with the provisions of ian act to
improve the navigation OF the Sabine, Neches
and Angelina Rivers and Pine Island Bayou,
1874, information having been received from
the Comptroller, as required by said act,
that a distance Of tifty-three miles has been
completed by said contractors, in accord
ance with the provisions of said act.
The lands obtained under the provisions
Of this act shall be alienated by said con-
tractors as follows: One-fourth in eight
years, one fourth in twelve years, One-fOurth
in sixteen years from the date OF the certitl-
Gates; provided that the same shall not be
sold to any company or corporation, except
so far as may be necessary for the proper
use and necessary for the conducting the
business of such company or corporation,
or to any person, firm or company in trust
for said contractors, and failure to COM
ply with, or any violation of the provisions
OF this section, shall work forfeiture of all
lands not alienated as required by this act.
The lands granted to said contractors are
to be located in alternate sections and sur
yeved in the following manner:
/. Two sections of land adjoining and con-
Meeting with each other must be surveyed,
one for the State and the other for the con-
tractors.
.. The surveys to be made square, unless
prevented by previous entries or nayigable
streams.
8. When the field notes have been returned
to the General Land Office, the Commissioner
will number the surveys and report the re-
suit to the Surveyor, who will fill up the
blanks left in his record for that purpose ac-
cordingly.
(As matter Of convenience in describing
the surveys, when reporting the numbers,
the Surveyor should number the field notes
temporarily, in pencil.)
4. In dividing the surveys a fraction OF
over 320 acres will be counted as awhole Sec
ton, and two fractions of less than 32O acres
will be regarded rs a section.
5. The even numbers will be reserved to
the State and the odd numbers to the con-
tractors.
In testimony whereof l hereunto set my
hand and afiX the impress of the seal of said
office this nineteenth day of January, 1919.
Seal D. GRooS.
Commissioner.
This title-deed or land-warrant is
not worth the paper it was printed on,
as the scrip was obtained from the Land
Commissioner of Texas fradulently and
in consideration Of work never per-
formed by the contractors. The com
nany which claimed to have dredged
and cleaned out the Sabine and other
rivers mentioned in the above title never
performed the work they claimed to
have performed, and the State has since
then repudiated the claim and annulled
the issue of this scrip. There is very
large amount of bona fde or genuine
land scrip in the market and number
of persons reported to be engaged in
selling this bogus scrip are entirely in
nocent of the crime alleged against
them. All the land being offered for
sale and sold here and in st. Louis is
not covered by bogus titles. Several
names have been used by sensational
papers in connection with this Texas
land swindle who have no connection
whatever with the affair. The report
that large number of court-houses had
been burned in Texas by the gang inter-
Il. ,tnn1 -, ,,,rph ave