Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-11
MONsTROUs LAND SWINDLE.
COIIfOFn1a'H Great Seal Forged and
Millions of Acres Sold 10 Innocent
Efuyor8. ls.fIE


Great Seal Forged and
MIIliOns OF Acres sold 10 InnOeent
Buyers.
The San Francisco Chronicle, in
a recent issue, says:
A fraud of q startling nature,
and doubtless one of the most stu
pendous in its purposes and results
ever perpetrated in this State, has
recently been discovered, amount
ing to nothing less than the coun-
terfeiting of the great seal of the
State of California, and its applica-
ton to prodigious schemes of
thievery. For what period and to
what extent this fraudulent instru.
ment has been in use, outside in
vestigation has not determined, but
it is quite certain that many thous-
and, mayhap millions of acres Of
land, including some OF the best
improved and valuable in the State,
are held under fictitious titles, de-
volving upon the employment of
this counterfeit. 1t is further in
timated that men Of prominence
and hitherto esteemed integrity are
concerned in this fraud, and that
its perpetration will in due time
solve the mystery Of many an easily
accumulated fortune in various
quarters. From the extent to which
fictitious titles to land are held un-
der this counterfeit seal in all parts
of the State it is evident that hun
dreds have been directly or indi-
rectly concerned in the villainy,
while the victims may be estimated
by thousands. 1t seems no less as
sured that public officials in some
quarters have been implicated il
the business and shared in the
guilty profits. The manner il
which the counterfeit seal has beer
employed appears to have beer
varied. ThOusands'of school-lan(
warrants have been forged and sole
on its authenticity. An immens,
amount Of land has been taken il
the same manner on forged or lille
gal Indian script and soldiers war
rants.
Special swindles on a giganti
scale have heen accomplished b
taking up large tracts of lands an,
parcelling them out to settlers, in
volving in some instances a clea
steal Of a million or more. An,
the audacity of the villainy has eyel
extended to the manufacture G
fictitious titles, by which many
settler has been robbed outright G
his good, improved homestead, 0
made to pay roundly for the dispel
sion Of the cloud on his title. b
the peculiar nature of the fraud i
. its application to the courts, the un
fortunate farmer whose title is dis
: puted by the remorseless thieves
5 placed at a fatal disadvantage. TIL
: worthless deeds, based upon tn
! counterfeit seal, are put upon recor
+ in the several counties, and in cas-
of suits affecting title the record
and not the patents are produce
e in court. Many a lawyer has thu
8 lost his case from the records alon
g whereas, if he could have reache
y the original itself, and have bee
i advised of the existence Of the coul
: terfeit seal, he might have reache
|, a favorable result. In what mar
0 ner the emplyment of this connie.
Y felt seal was disclosed is not STATED
II but it is impossible that, from I'll
IS points developed in continuous Ian
II litigation in the State for son
/. years past, the practice of son
le gigantic system Of fraud shouI
lf have been nnsuspeoted, An in
d preston of the counterfeit seal +
d celyed at the Chronicle Office shov
ly that the work has been skilfu
At lily executed, but there are yal
ID ations from the genuine whit
ne are easily described, and by whit
n the counterfeit may be rcadi
le detected. There is variation
nr the head of the bear in the counte
ar felt amounting to a manifest di
ID proportion, The ship in the d
N tance in the genuine yields to {.
Id pressure Of the breeze, while in I
)n counterfeit it stands erect and |
| ealmod. The pick in the hands
at the miner is sharply cut in &
ey original, while Ia the counterfeit
et bears moro the resemblance Of
,s- calker's hammer. The front el
$50 Of the rocker in the genuine pi
lie italy oonceals the leg OF the min
| while in the counterfeit it bart
at reaches him. There are ike Va
ng ations in the drapery Of the FEM
ey figure, the outlines Of the hills, ct
IT. that might also serve to detect I
,ut counterfeit from the genuine.
hi. is appalling 10 contemplate I