The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-30
LAND TENURE.
E&aov. PlERPoNr's SUGGESTIONS.

Brief History Of West yir1Iuia Laads-Sutv.ya ~
PAtsA,s-hss Obliged to Pay Two or Three
Tinss for Tbsir Lssd-Ths State Of
Ar.irs In W.bd.r Couaiy.
10 Ls Edlor Of ne Ihieligenctr.
slR:--The history Of the land sytem o
Virginia Is familiar to most Of your readers
Atthe end Of the Revolutionary war Wes
Augusta attended all over West Virginia
In the course Of years it was divided ant
subdivided into counties, but there wers
no small political divisions or maps to show
where lands were located. The princlpa
rivers and their tribu,ariea had names
and the large surveys were represented az
situated on aome Of these rivers or theil
tributaries. This general description, with
tomahawk marks on q few treee, was ali
that was left to tell where the land lay in O
vast wilderness. These large surveys were
located through period OF two generations
Many .clionB Of the State were covered
three patents deep.
In the course ol time, as the country be.
came settled on the Ohio and adjacent
countiee, there became demand for land.
Without knowledge Of the location Of these
large surveys, additional patents were oh.
tanned for land located within their bound.
aries. Men needing homes settled on ema all
tracts under patents or by purchase. They
improved their lands by clearing, building
and fences. But by the time they became
comfortably situated, the owner Of large
survey served on them writ Ct rj.ctment,
claiming his land. The large survey was
established; the poor man had 10 leave or
lepurchaEe the home and farm his own
hands had made valuable. He repurchased,
aud scarcely had It paid for second time
until another older large survey was estab.
lished, aud by the judgment Of the court
he had to leave, or purchase again. Some
men have ma1e the second and third pur.
chase-olheis, like situated as to title, bu.
the days oil whose manhood wero gone,
had to leave and die in poverty, broken.
heartsd. -, w
as "a, THESE nARDsuIp5 STILL EXIST. i
This article may :cometo the attention Of
s,me gentleman inNthe State who can give
individual instances, with names Of per
sons who have suffered these hardshirs.
The history will make interesting reading
Tor portion Of the State. But these hard
ships are now occurring every year in the
central and southwestern part OF the State
Within the lsst year, think, was in the
Federal Court at Clarksburg. A suit WIS
being tried TO establish iarRo survey OF
IS. 900 or loo. 600 acres In .Upshur couaty-
perhaps it ran into Randolph. There were
some thirty or forty defendants and mum.
ber Of them were present. The larg. sur.
vey was established. Many OF these poor
men had passed the day Tor hard labor.
Their faces indicated that the iron had
passed into their souls. They had to leave
the fields Of hard toll or pay for tho labor
they bad done in good f.itb, believing that
they were wor king for themselves, but they
we're working for another.
here insert extracts from letter from
Webster county. From the style OF the
letter it is from highly intelligent mau.
1t is published in thu West virgiman Of last
week. He says:
"The fertile mountains hera arc covered
with immense forests OF most valuable
timber, -pine, walnut cherry ash and
poplar. ! do not hesitate to Say that there
is more fne poplar in this county than in
county in the State. The soil is very fertile
in mountain and valley. Buried under are
extensive beds OF coal and iron ore.
Some Of the latter are said to be twenty
feet thick. The Little ktnawha aud
Gauley rivers skirt this couu,y respectively
on the north and south, whll, tho dasainX
Elk traverses it from east 10 west Naturally
ibis is one Of the richest counties in West
Virginia, yet We shudder when We think
OF the condition it Is IN now. Here and lhere
is cabin; here and there a poor
wretch trying to make au honest living,
trying TO improve the land that he pur-
chased, hoping that when old age comes
he may live At eass. Old a,a cjm IS, tue
farm iB improved. Tue land shark says,
That land u mine, l must have it. A suit
ensues, the farm is gone, the old man is
left to die in poverty's embrace. You will
ask why the country is go sparsely po u
lated ? Why the turning out Of house and
home Of the old farmer, robbiDK him
thereby oil all his hard earned living? Fjr
answer will simply reier you to tho list
Of delinquent lands returned for last year,
which foots up to nearly 400, 900 aces,
while the whole acreage Of the county is
only 2SG. 900 acres. Can you wonder that
emiYration ID slow?" ~ -. iGs'r'
THR sToHy CONFIRMED. T..
Here the story il told by cis;z,n OF the
county. The county is covered three deep
by patents Issued by the commonwealth OF
Virginia. On reading this letter turned
TO the Auditors report from which the
statements in my last were taken, That
table shows Webster county, in 1881, re-
turned for assessmen, 756,74S acres, III 1882
l ,224 $3.50 acres, valued at So csnts per acre.
But 1t seems the. Sheriff, who lives in
Nicholas county, returned l,400,00 acres.
The value Of all the buildings in the county
is set down a, $l7,S29 90.
Are not these details sickenirg to o man
who desires the. welfare Of the State :? Yet
these laud pirates want commission OF
emigration organized TO get unsuspecting
strangers to buy these lands, acquired for
a small pittance, for which they have no
valid title. The honest, intelligent men OF
the State owe 1t to themselves, and to these
poor deserving men to whom I referred in
my laet, to shorten the statute OF Limitation
and give the settler the land called for in
hiB patent or deed-and tax every aero OF
these wild lands to It's full value, that value
TO be ascertained by ths value Of the seated
lands. hope the press Of the State will
express opinions on this aubject and de.
mapu action, I have more to nay.
~ - ISL O. = r.. f. H. PlRRpOSr
Fai,monl January 2s. 1884. - Y
Mfsecgcnntton fs Catching.
WAslllSa7oS, D. c., January 29-Fred