The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-04-01
The Missouri Land Frauds-A Gigantic
SWindle.

s't
prom the Washington Post, March 49,
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 tho
General Land-ofiice in the city regard It ~
the greatest swindle ever perpetrated on the
Government, and its immensely can only DO
realized when all the facts in the case are
known. It's inception dates back to the
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 Leg cents per
acre. Just after tho passage Of this act
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 ut the Land Office that
the Government officials must have been in
collision with the swindlers. The latter pre-.
pared and brought to several of the Land
offices in Missouri . quantity of false evil
dence, 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
tiers and Receivers, and on the presentation
of this alleged proof patents were issued for
hundreds and thousands of acres Of land the
swindlers. All their well-laid plans seemed
to prosper. Then the war came, and all
Southern and Southwestern Missouri, the
scene of the swindling operations, was in
state of confusion. During the time it is be.
lieved the swindlers made the most Of their
opportunities and distracted as many patents
as they could find. When everything had
quieted down they commenced to sell off the
patents in manner that was as plausible a.
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 gen.
uine patent, though obtained by fraud. Ac.
companying it was deed purporting to be
made out by the person whose name APP
peared on the patent. That deed was a
forgery. To obtain their end the swindlers
had committed two crimes. Some idea is
thus given of the enormity of the fraud.
First hundreds of affidavits that the signer
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-ofiice 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 guileless purchaser a.
bona fide evidence that his title to the prop
erty was complete. There was another and
more careful way in which the skillful swim
oilers worked. Mr.. A appeared to Mr.. B,
who wished to purchase as the agent Of Mr..
G., third party. "Mr. C wishes to sell this
land,'' said Mr.. A to the victim, "and will
probably accept your offer. Call around to-
morrow at l o'clock. In the meantime I
will see him. 1t is needless to say that thif
third party was "straw man." who never
existed. When B appeared next day A
but which really had been drawn up by A
within an hour after he had left the day be.
fore. As if to guard against any possible de.
lection of fraud, the swindlers used what
they called a "smoked deed" This was a
deed discolored by smoke or coffee, and
made to appear Of sufficient age to corre-
spond with the date it bore. They grew so
expert at the practice of smoking freshly.
prepared deeds that the deception escaped
discovery. The investigation which led to
the exposure of the gigantic swindlers was
instigated little over year ago by letter
received by Secretary Schurz. This stated
whose father had once been in charge of the
Land. Office at Ironton, and who had thus
had access to the contents and records of the
Office, possessed one or two boxes filled with
United States land patents which were GER
tainly genuine, although Lindsay might have
obtained them by questionable means. The
letter alleged that he kept these boxes con-
cealed or moved them by stealth, and had
queer dealings with queer people. The
writer, who professed to be . friend to
Schurz, suggested in conclusion that it
might pay to look int the matter. The
statements of the letter were deemed of such
importance that the Secretary at once Sc
cured Special Agent d. P. Terrell, Of the
Treasury Department, to work up the case.
His experience during the thirteen months
he has been employed would, if published,
read like novel. He has been in nearly ev-
cry city in the country, under assumed
names. He has figured in the pine woods OF
Missouri as saw-mill owner or prospector,
and in the Western cities as an Eastern cap
italist who wanted to buy large quantity Of
land in the southern part Of Missouri. and
was on an anxious search for the real owner
Of the property. In his Investigations he
found that the ramifcations of the swindle |
extended to Pittsburgh, Cleveland and other
cities. His lsbors were at last crowned with |
success. A few days ago number of per-
sons, including Lindsay, were arrested in St.
Louis or the cities named. They have all |
given bail or are on trial. 1t is stated at tho |
Land office that the ring has obtained fraud |
ulent titles to more than a million acres Of |
land; the larger proportion of this vast area |
they have sold to innocent settlers, who are
now living in peace around happy hearth |
fires. Legally they have no title to the land |
they occupy, and the Government can cause |
fr 80 ho Y~;<