Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-09-12
New Regulations in Regard to s.PrOy.
Ing up'' ON Homcsteasis.


luth 1ribuae, whose editor is United
States land officer. will be of interest te
manF persons in this Territory:
1t is of course well known to all who
have been familiar with the Instructions
and rulings of the General Land Office
that multi tudes of persons who have ever
taken homesteads have not strictly COM
Piled with the law III regard to establishing
80 -. '''ernnn TIerftofore home
steaders have, of course, solemnly sworn
that they have resided on their homestcads
as provided by law, but, as matter OF
fact, such residences have been technical.
rather than bona tide. 1t seems. however,
the General Land Office Commissioner has
decidef! to put a stop to this loose way OF
doing business, as new blanks have been
issued to the various offices, prescribing 8
new sort of emphatic and specific ques-
tions both tor the homesteader himself and
for his witnesses. For the information OF
the public, and especially fof the intorma-
ton OF homesteaders Who have not yet
''proyed up" we publish below the ques-
tions which, under the new regulations,
| the homesteaders must answer, and the
questions for his witnesses are equally
searching and pointed:
QUESTIONS FOR THE HoMEsTEADER.
Qucs. ]. What is your name? (Be care
full to give it in full. correctly spelled, in
order that it may be here written exactly
as you wish it written in the patent which
you desire to obtain.)
| Ques. 2. What is your age?
| Ones. 3. Are You the head of family,
or single person; and, if the head OF a
family, of whom does your family consist:
Ques. 4. Are You a native-born citizen
of the United States? 1t not, have you
declared your intention to become a
citizen, and have you obtained Il certili-
cate OF naturalization?
Ques. 5. Are there any indications OF
coal, Or other minerals of any kind on t! e
lands embraced i'll your homestead entry
abovs dcscribeIp (It so. state what they
are, and whether the springs or miner:l
deposits are valuablc.)
Cues. 6. Is the land more valuable for
agricultural than mineral purposes?
Ques. 7, What is your poSt-ollicc adj
dress?
Qacs. 8. Have you ever made home
stead entry except Tor this land. No.........:
| (It you Lave. give, as nearly is you can
the date thereof and description of the land
and state whether the entry still! subsists
or. it it has been cancelled. state the cause
of TIE cancciation.)
Qucs. 8. Have yoa sold the land or con-
veyed to any ore your right and intercs!
! in the same? And if so, to whom and toi
what purpose?
| Ques. 10. Docs any one except your
self claim the land under the homestead OF
pre-emption laws?
Ques. II. When did you first make set
tlcment on the said land?
Ques. y. When did yoa first establish
a residence upon the land?
Ques. II At the date you have given as
being the date that you first established
your residence upon the land, did you
move thereon in person?
Ques. II. Up to what time have YOU re-
sided upon the land?
Qucs. Il. Was your residence upon the
land continuous during the period named
Ques. 26. If you had Il family during
id period of residence on the homestead
did your family reside thereon?
Qucs. II, What improvements have ycu
ma lie or do you possess on the land: de-
scribe them.)
Ones. IS. When was your house built,
Oucs. 10. What is the total value O.
said improvements?
Qucs. 90. For what purpose have yot
used the land?
Ques. q. How much of the land have
yoa broken and cultivated, and what crops
if any. have you raised?
Another affidavit which tie hcmesteadel
must take contains the following clause:
And do further swear that have no
heretofore perfected or rabandoned an entry
male under the homestead laws OF the Uni
ted States.
The ney instructions also contain til,
following note:
NoTE.-The officer before whom tn,
testimony is taken should call the atten
ton of the witness to the following section
of the Revised Statutes. and state to hin
that it is the purpose Of the Government
fit be ascertained that lie testities falsely
to prosecute him to the full extent of tn,
law:
TITLE IyX-CRINES-CH T.
Section 1892 Every person who, hav
ing taken an oath before competen
tribunal. officer or person, in any case il
which law of the Unitc' States author
izes an oath to be admin cred, that h
will testify, decl; re. depos " certify tru
ly. or that any written to- yny. declars,
ton. deposition, or cert. .e by him sub
scribed is true, willfully and contrary t,
such oath states or subscribes any mater
ial matter which he does not believe to b
true, is guilty Of perjury, and shall b
punished by fine of not more than tw,
thousand dollars, and by Imprisonment a
harl labor not more than five years, an,
shall, moreover, thereafter be Incapable O
giving testimony in any court at the Uni
ted States until such time as the judgmen
against him is reversed. See Sec. 1850.
The effect of these new and more rigi
rulings will probably be to prevent som
homesteaders from securing their patents
who could have done SC under the old rul
!, ings, and the Government undoubtedly
means to put stop 10 the loose way il
which some persons have heretofore gon
through the farce of proving up; but
may be that the Government will Loo
with some degree of allowance upon thos
homesteaders who have lived up to tn
! homestead law as closely as they have sup
posed that they We're required to do. B
this as it may, we would recommend al
persons, who have EsI homestcads. for th
requisite length OF time, and who inten'
to prove up, to do so as soon as practics'
! BILE. Considerable inquiry is now bcin!