Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-25
ENORMOUS LAND GRABS.
MILLIONS OF ACRES FENCED IN
THE GREAT WEST.

All the Big Foreign Cattle Companies
in the Deal-SettIers Driven from
their Homes and Cowboys Used as
Tools in Perpetrating the Steals.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24.-Some time
ago the Commissioner of the General
Land Office ordered a survey of certain
public lands in Colorado and Nebraska,
with view Of bringing suits at the next
term Of court against cattle companies
that have illegally fenced in large tracts
of land in those States. A special agent
who has been experimenting the survey
in Colorado, in a report to the Commits
siOner, says that eight cases have been
found against the Prairie Cattle Com
pany, composed of Scotchmen. An
examination has been made of
tracts containing respectively 100
square miles, p square miles, 16
square mics and 70 square miles, and the
agent is at present examining a tract
containing over 100 square miles. All of
these are under control OF the Prairie
Cattle Company, and the agent saws are
illegally fenced in. The officials in the
Land Office say that the practice of
illegally fencing large tracts of land and
making fraudulent entries has been
before. They claim that between 5,000,-
600 and 100000 acres are now illegally
fenced, and that several millions of acres
are fraudulently entered.
SETTLERS COMPLAINING.
Complaints from settlers are being re-
ceived daily by agents and at the land
office here. Settlers say that cattle men
are driving them away and taking from
them lands which they have settled upon.
Inc of fhf 4 Z a l.
OF the subject to-day sand that if the prac-
tice is continued cattle men will have en-
tire control of the best public lands in the
United States within twenty years. Rela-
tive TO fraudulent entries of land land
agent in New Mexico informs the
General Land Commissioner that
OF the entries in that Territory 90 per
cent. are fraudulent, and another agent in
Dakota, writing upon the same subject,
says that 70 per cent. of the entries are
fraudulent in that Territory.
STATISTICS ON THE STEALS.
A table completed yesterday for the
forthcoming annual report of the Land
Commissioner shows the number of fraud
ulent entries that have been investigated
during the past year, and approximately
the numberOt illegally fenced acres in the |
various States and Territories, to be as
follows: Arkansas, 20 entries; Dakota, |
400 entries; Colorado, sos en-
tries, and 2,SOO,OOO acres illegally
fenced; California, 139 entries; New
Mexico, S27 entries and 100000 acres
illegally fenced; Minnesota, 81 entries;
Washington Territory, 100 entries:
Idaho, % entries; Nebraska, |
illegally fenced; Montana, 24 entries;
Wyoming, 10 entries and $4,000 acres !
illegally fenced; Alabama 153 entries;
Wisconsin, 10 entries; Florida, Il entries;
Oregon, 80 entries; Kansas, 1S2 entries |
and 100000 acres Illegally fenced; Ne |
vada, 10000 acres illegally fenced. Be- |
sides the cases embraced in the fOregO- |
ing table there are about 5000 en- |
tries on which action has been |
suspended until an examination can be |
made by special agents. These entries |
will average about $50 acres of land each. |
Acting Commissioner Harrison says that |
no doubt there are thousands of other |
fraudulent entries, but that the office can |
only investigate those which are brought |
to its attention by settlers and others.
SOME OF THE BIG STEALS.
Among the cases OF unauthorized fenc- !
ing specially reported to the Land Office |
by agents are those of the Prairie Cattle !
Company (Scotch), embracing upwards !
OF 100000 acres; the Arkansas |
valley company 100000 acres; |
II. ii. Metcalf, 100000 acres: John w. |
Davis, $4,000 acres; R0utchler & Lamb, |
10000 acres; j. W. Frank, 10000 acres; |
Garnett & Langford, 10000 acres; L. G. |
Duane, $1,000 acres; Lewissey Bros, 150,- /
900 acres; NrOOman e McFife, $4,000 |
acres; Beatty Bros, 10000 acres; Chick, |
Brown & CO., &c, 900 acres, and the Rey- |
nOlds Cattle Company, 50, 900 acres, all in |
Colorado; Brighton ranch, 12j.000 acres;
COe & Carter, so, 900 acres; j. w. Wilson, |
$4,000 acres; Kennebec ranch, 10000 |
acres, and J. W. Bosler, 10000 acres, all |
in Nebraska; William Humphrey, $4,000 |
acres, and Nelson 81 Son, 10000 acres, in |
Nevada.
Entire counties are reported as being |
fenced in in Kansas. In Wyoming more |
than 100 large cattle companies are re- |
ported as having fencing on public lands. |
Some of these companies are reported to |
be English, and others Scotch. Referring |
to the practice of large companies making !
fraudulent entries on lands illegally |
fenced, Maj. Mckenzie, of the Land Office, !
said: 'These entries are made along the |
streams that run through land. Cattle !
men will employ men to herd their
stock, and then will give $50 or 500 |
TO each one to make |
an entry for 160 acres. When he has Sc
cured his patent, it is understood that be |
must transfer it to the party who adj |
Vanced the money. Many of the cattle |
dealers will not employ men unless they
will agree to make entries. A common |
fraud in New Mexico, Arizona, Cali |
fOrnia, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah !
and Nevada, is practiced by means of the |
desert land act. That act provides that |
in selecting $40 acres of desert land %
cents per acre shall be paid down,
and that persons entering the land |
shall be allowed three years in which to
pay the remainder. Instead of taking |
desert land the practice is to take the very |
best land. The parties hold it and get the |
use of it for three years for cOmpara- |
lively nothing, and for as much longer as |
the title is in dispute. Complaints from
settlers come from nearly all the Western |
States and Territories. Some Of these ac-
cuse government land agents of being in
cOllusinn with the land-prahhprs