Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-03-16
LAND sWINDLERS.

A Leading Lawyer of st. Louis Arrested
for Conspiracy to Defraud the Govern.
ment Out of Lands. Other Arrests II
Cleveland and Other Points and More to
Follow Tho Frauds Thought to Cover
from Three to Four Million Acres OF
Land.
ST. LOUIS, March Is. limited States special
agent P. D. Turree, arrested to-day Rob
ert Lindsay. we'll known lawyer and investi
gator of titles, on the charge of conspiracy to
defraud the government out of lands, by
uttering false deeds under fraudulent titles.
These operations appear to have
extended over a long period OF years,
commencing prior to 1850, and it is
estimated from three to four million acres OF
lands in Wayne, Butler, Shannon, Ripl ey, Ore.
Counties in Northwestern Missouri are in
volved.
The frauds were originally prosecuted un-
der the graduation act, passed by Congress in
1854. Under this act large amounts of
land in the State was graduated in price
from one dollar down to twelve and half
cents per acre, and anyone could enter 800
acres for actual settlement on ap-
plieation to the register % Of I'll, the land md office,
ouent proof of settlement government patents
we're issued and the title perfected. It appears
that as long ago as between 1858 and 1850,
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of applications
were made for the cheapest grade OF land,
the applicants being chiefly men who
were hired for the purpose by land specula.
tors. On these applications and subsequent
proof of settlement, the latter being as is now
associated composed largely OF false afddavits,
ohar nf inf
hands of these spectators, or as they are now
called, swindlers.
Some of these parties are dead, but others
were subsequently engaged in this occupation
even as late as three years ago, and lived and
are now living in various parts of the country.
From 1861 to 1856, and since 1870, large
number of land warrants disappeared from
the land Office at 1ronton, apparently without
the knowledge of the register. Under. these
an immense amount of lands have been sold
and deeds issued by the partners in nearly all
the large cities of the country.
There seems to be regular organized bands
engaged in the work, of whom Special Agent
Tyrre1 regards Lindsay the chief conspirator.
In fact other and many important arrests were
made simultaneously with that of Lindsay
and still others will be made.
Those arrested so far are Orlond Won Hise
anu JOuu htIudu, idWJoIo aAV i0oi Sc1oeo
agents, Cleveland; Geo. Lynn, of lyndale,
near Cleveland, and Addison F. Burr, real es-
tate agent, and Il. R. Mcclellan, Pittsburgh.
There are still others implicated In the
swindle in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago
and other cities, and additional arrests may be
looked for at any time. The deeds issued by
these parties have been manipulated in man
ner usual with land swindlers, and everything
looks fair and honest.
The frauds have been Systematically perpe-
trated, and hundreds, perhaps thousands, are
now settled upon, or have acquired land In
Southeast Missouri, the title to which
is utterly valueless. A thorough investigation
will be made by United States District Attor-
ney Bliss, and all parties will be dispossessed
of the land they have accumulated under these
fraudulent deeds and illegal patents. It is esti-
mated several million acres of land will revert
back to the government when the affair is
Strengthened out
Robt L. Lindsay has borne good charac
ter here, and his father, James Lindsay, was
register of the land Office at Ironton for several
years. There is no evidence however, he was
at any time concerned in the swindle. 1t is
expected one or two other arrests will be
made here tomorrow.