The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-10-26
Sixty COnfederates, In Thirteen Differ
emit States, Also Arrested.

ent states, Also Arrested.
The Astonishing Success OF the Opera
tors Matter OF Special Wonder
Kansas City Daily Journal.
Kansas City has been the head
quarters or principal point of OPP
Grafton of one of The most gigantic
land swindles ever perpetrsted, ri
Vallng III money value and extent
the great whisky frauds. Not only
mas the government suffered, but
Innocent parties in all parts of the
country have been caught in the
meshes skillfully laid by the con-
sumate actors.
Three well known citizens of
Kansas City were
CHIEF ACTORS IN THE AFFAIR,
j. r. HaIs, Edward L. Stevens, aud
Geo. w. Miller. The scheme orig
mated with j. R. Ham and 8 man
named Thos. Tulis, living at Aus
tin, Texas. Some thirteen years
ago Ham sold out his saloon In
Kansas City, since which time it
has been generally known that he
Ns@S 4OA66 lduues
METHODS CT OPERATING.
Tulis ana Ham first began their
operations by examining the old
records of various counties, and
where the titles were invested in par
ties who had not been heard from
for some time, they would person
ate the absent owners. The next
step was to secure confederates at
different points TO represent them
selves as the missing parties. New
Orleans and Indianapolis were the
chief points, although many minor
places have since furnished their
quota of "Texas land owners"
ANOTHER PLAN
for secu ring titles to the land was
to make duplicate copies of deeds,
issue fraudulent script for the pur-
chase of land, and even deal in coun-
terfeit money to make bona tide
purchases. The scheme grew on
apace,
oTHR PARTIES
were brought into the gang, until
finally not less than sixty parties
Lying in some thirteen different
states were directly and indirectly
Interested in the profits of the steal.
Among them were Edward L. Ste.
Vens and George w. Miller. Ste.
Vens' connection with the concern
dates back about four years, Al
which time, and for months there
after, he was connected with the
Narrow Gauge railroad in an OIL
cial capacity. 1t is not known 81
just what Tina Miller began to &C
with Ham. Indeed but little could
be learned of his doings, further
than that he acted as banker for the
concern, and, being a good penman
made transcripts of important pa
pers and
FoBGED THE SIGNATURES
of parties whenever necessary. A
gambler by profession, Miller il
credited with having some $28,02<
on deposit in the Mastin Bank, ana
one time honored draft from Ham
sent from Texas, for $4,000 TO ena.
BILE the latter to manipulate one Ol
his largest schemes.
Stevens is credited with frs hav
ing gone into the affair innocently
and against the wishes of his wife
and friends, who cautioned hin
against having any dealings will
Ham, who it seems first induced
him to trade his Narrow Gauge snC
Wyandotte Gas company stock fol
1000 ACRES OF TEXAS LANDS.
After this he seems to have become
infatuated with the money making
scheme and acted in full coHsor
with the others, and was known il
Texas as q Kansas City lawyer.
The better 10 enable them to car
ry on their plan of operations, Han
and his confederates had made dup
licate copies of the notariaI anC
other seals, and had Obtained tht
signatures of many officials. Han
even went so far as to purchas
type and caused to be printed il
Kansas City blank forms and
PERFECT COPIES OF DEEDS
necessary to his use. A Journa
reporter has examined document
printed by Ham that are exact cop
les of the originals. Ham and Ste
vens found it necessary 10 work un
der
MANY ALIASES,
Ham having no less than thirty an,
Stevens thirteen. Our readers will
no doubt be surprised to learn tina
our Ham was known elsewhere q
J. p. Bates, j. d. Barry, E. p. Bates
Joeb d. Barry, Joeb N. Davis
Thos. Dalton, j, 8. Ford, w. Ii
Gibbs, j. B. Hamilton, John E
Hall j. B. Hughes, j. B. Hamil
, John II. Hudson, Orlando KeigcI
: John Il. Martin, Jas. N. Martin, A
j. Smith, B. f. Williams, aud som
twelve other names.
STEVENS ALIASES.
f III. G. Brown, III. A. Ed wards
/. Lorenzo Habermscher, e. D. LucaI
John NJ. Mercer, George II. Simons
D George w. Smith, T.. II. Thompson
and some eight others.
A faVorite plan of Hams was {,
record q deed in his own name, j
e B. Ham, and afterward the docu
nent would turn up as belonging
), to j. B. or j. X. Hamilton. Thi
was done by writing the letter r 8
that slight curve with the pc
!, would alter it to B and with the ad
e dition of 'ilton" to his own name
d q complete change was made.
t Several suits are now pending i
Kansas City between innocent PAL
r ties, resulting from changes of thi
f kind.
ri A reporter of the Journal wa
C shown a deed to large amount G
q Texas lands originally recorded q
c belonging to man named James G
e Kendall, in BeltoD, Texas, who ha
: been missing since 1860. To give
e clear understanding of the name
Q in which the thing was worked, W
d herewith give the details of thi
9 single transaction.
HAM COPIED THE RECORDS.
= and examined the land in question
= and then sent full DESCRIPTION {
the property to 8 confederate in ar
other part of the country, who ser