American citizen., 1881-04-02
The Missouri Land Frauds-A Gigantic
SMindlc.
IRON the Washington Post, March !

IRON the Washington Post, March 1911
The press dispatches which have been
published regarding the recent arrest Of
the land swindlers in st. Louis give no idea Of
the extent of the fraud. The officials in the
General Land office in the city regard it as
the greatest swindie ever perpetrated on the
Government, and its immensely can only be
realized when all the facts in the case are
known. Its inception dates back to tho
year 1854, more than quarter of century
ago. In that year, on the 18th Of August, an
act was passed by Congress graduating val
ues of public lands to actual settlers and
cultivators from $1.25 to II 1.2 cents per
acre. Just after the passage of this act q
ring was formed in Missouri to obtain pub
lie lands by illegal methods. Some Of the
men who engaged in the scheme are still liv-
ing, and it is believed at the Land office that
the Government officials must have been in
collusion with the swindlers. The latter pre-
pared and brought to several of the Land
offices in Missouri quantity of false evil
dencc, alleging that the public lands for
which patents were desired were actually
settled and cultivated according to law.
This was sent to Washington by the Regis
ters and Receivers, and on the presentation
of this alleged proof patents were issued for
hundreds and thousands OF acres of land to the
swindlers. All their well-laid plans seemed
10 prosper. Then the war came, and all
Southern and Southwestern Missouri, tho
scene of the swindling operations, was in a
state Of confusion. During the time it is be-
lieved the swindlers made the most of their
opportunities and distracted as many patents
they could find. When everything had
tpIieted down they commenced 10 sell off the
patents in manner that was as. plausible as
it was successful. 1t was as follows: Mr..
A came to Mr.. B with United States patent
for a certain number of acres. 1t was gem
uine patent, though obtained by fraud. Ac-
companying it was a deed purporting to be
made out by the person whose name ap-
peared on the patent. That deed was n
forgery. To obtain their end the swindlers
had committed two crimes. Some idea is
thus given of the enormiiy of the fraud.
First hundreds of aflidavits that the signcr
had actually settled and cultivated the land
were prepared, when the person whose
name was affixed never existed. Page after
page Of some Of the entry books in the Mis-
souri, Land -office have been found to be filled
with the names of fictitious persons to whom
patents were issued. Then, having secured
patent to the land by fraud, deed which
was not worth the paper it covered was writ
ten and handed to the g,Iileless purchaser as
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