The New York herald., 1878-07-08
CALIFORNIA; GREAT SEAL.

ENORMOUS swINpLING DONE By MEANS OF
observation-disclosures OF ACRES or LAND
DISPOSED OF UNDER FICTITIOUS II TIES.
tFrom the San Francisco Chronicle
A fraud Of startling nature ana, doubtless, OF
the most stupendous in its purposes and results OF
any previously perperated In this state has recently
been discovered, amounting to nothing less than the
countereag of the great seal of tho state Of Cali
lorna and its application 10 prodigous schemes OF
tnicvery. The main object to which this daring vii.
lany been designed has been the wholesale seizure
OF the public lands under the guise Of loyal sanction
and a scale with which the brief period OF desert
land grabbing was a nero spasm OF peut larceny II
Is known that information oil the irauu has been 10
possession OF the Slato authorities for weeks
past, hut the reason that has been withheld from
tue public Is not explained, unless II may be attrb
uted to the oi justice iu facilitating the ferret
ing out OF the guilty parties For what period aud 10
what extent this fraudulent instrument has been in
use, outside investigation has not determined, but t
is quite certain that many thousands, mayhap mill.
lions, of OF land including some OF the best
proved and valuable in the State, are held
under fictitious titles, oevoIvng upon tho en-
ployment OF this counterfeit. 1t fur.
tncr minated that men OF prominence and
hitherto esteemed integrity are concerned in this
fraud and that It's perpetratIon Will In due time solve
The mystery Of many an easily accumulated fortune
IN various quarters. from the extent TO which hcti-
titles to land are held under tbs counterfeit seal
IN all paris oil tho state II rs evident that hundreds
have been directly or Indirectly concerned In the VII
aDy while the victims may be estimated by thOus-
mus 1t seems no less assured that public Oil cias
~ some quarters nave been Implicated IN the business
ana shared III the guilty profits The manner IN
when the tcrfet seal has becn employed appears
to have been varied Thousands OF school laud war
rants have been forged aud sold on It's authenticity
An Immense amount of land has been taken IN tie
sane manner on forged Or Illegal Iodian scrip and
soldit rs' wa rants
special swindes on a gigantic scale have been ac-
complished by taking up large tracts OF lands ana
parceiinr them out 10 Settlers involving IN some M
stances clear steal OF a miiiion or more And the
md nj Han hu4 nl a. ~ to
Manufacturing of fictitious titles by which many
settler mas been robbed ou,rpht OF hrs good improved
homestead made to pay roundy for the
dis sperson OF the cloud HIS titic BY the peculiar
nature OF the fraud In his application to the courts.
the unfortunate farmer, whose ule Is disputed by
the secss thieves is placed at fearful disad
vantage The worthless deeds, based upon the coun-
tcrelt SEAL are put upon record IN the several cour
ties ana IN OF SUITS affecting tile records aud
the patents are producsd 10 court Many lawyer
~ he could have reuched thc Itself aud been ad
viscd the existence " the counterfeit seal he nignt
have reached favorable result 1t wnat manner tho
employment OF this counterfeit seal was disclosed Is
not stated, but II IS Impossible tnat from the points
developed Ia continuous land litigation Ia tho
State Tor several years past, the practise OF some
gigantic system vi fraud should have been unsus-
peeled. An impression Of tue counterfeit seal re-
ceived the Chronice ohce shows that WORK has
been skituly executed but there are variations from
the genuine which are easily described aDd Oy winch
the count pteroit may be easily detected There IN
Ration IN the head OF the Dear IN the counterfeit
amounting TO manifest disproporion. The ship IN
the distance IN the genuine yields 10 the pressure OF
the breeze, white IN tho counterfeit II stands err ana
becalmcd. The PICK IN the hands OF the miner 10
sharply cut IN the original wnilc IN the counterfeit IL
bears more the resemblapcc OF a ca,ker's hammer.
The front ead OF the rocker In the genuine partially
conccaIs the leg OF the miner while IN tue counterfeit
II barely reaches him. There are like vari,uons 10
the drapcry OF the female hgurc the outlines OF the
hills. &e inat mgnt also 10 do,sct hs counter
lett from the genuine.