The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-08-29
GREAT THEFTS OF LAND.

Extent to which Large Cattle Companies
Have Illegally Fenced in the Public
Observation-Disclosures of Fraudulent En-
tries Found to Have Been Made in New
Mexico and Dakota.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26. Some time
since the Commissioner of the General Land
Office ordered a survey of certain public
lands in Colorado and Nebraska with the
view of bringing suits against cattle COM
panies that have illegally fenced in large
tracts of lands in those States. Eight cases
have been found against the Prairie Cattle
Company composed of Scotchmen. An eX-
animation has been made of tracts contains
ing respectively one hundred square miles.
twenty-five square miles, sixteen square
miles and seyenty-fve square miles, and an
agent is at present examining tract con-
taining over one hundred square miles. All
of these are under control OF the Prairie
Cattle Company and are Illegally fenced in.
Officials in the Land Office claim that be-
tween five and six millions of acres are now
illegally fenced in, and that several mill
ions OF acres are fraudulently entered.
Settlers say the cattle men are driving
them away, and taking from
them the lands which they have set
SAYS that if the practice is continued the
cattle men will have entire control of the
best public lands in the United States
within twenty years. "A land agent in New
Mexico informs the General Land Commits
sioner that, of the entries in that Territory,
ninety per cent are fraudulent, and another
agent In Dakota says that twenty-five per
cent of the entries are fraudulent in that
Territory. a. table. completed recently
for the forthcoming annual report of the
Land Commissioner, shows the number of
fraudulent entries that have been inyesti-
gated during the past year, and approx
imately the number of Illegally fenced
acres in the various States and Territories,
to be as follows: i1iii2itee 3iii
/ Arkansas 10 fraudulent entrees; Dakota,
AGO: Colorado, $50 fraudulent entries aud
2,80O,00O acres Illegally fenced; California 1879
I ulent entries and 100000 acres illegally
fenced Minnesota, 81 fraudulent entries;
Washington Territory, 109; Idaho, 81; Ne
braska. ITO fraudulent entries and 3UU,000
acres illegally fenced Montana, "A fraudulent
entries; Wyoming Territory, "a fraudulent
entries and 100000 acres; Alabama, 1853 fraud
ulent entries; Wisconsin, 10; Florida, IL;
Oregon, 49, Kansas. 1872 fraudulent entries
and 100000 acres illegally fenced; Nevada, 60
GOO acres illegally fenced.
Entire counties are reported as being
fenced in in Kansas In, Wyoming more
than one, hundred large cattle companies
are reported as having fencing on public
lands. Some of these companies are re-
ported to be English, and others Scotch
/. Referring to the practice of large com:
paries making fraudulent entries on lands
illegally fenced, Major Mckenzie, of the
Land Office, said; a%HThese entries are made
| along streams that run through land.
Cattle men will employ men to herd
their stock, and then win give $50 or
800 to each one to>make an entry Of 16O
acres. When he has secured his patent, it
is understood that he must transfer it to the
party who advanced the money Many
cattle dealers will not employ men unless
they will agree to make entries. Al COM
mon 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 twenty cents per acre shall
be paid down, and that persons
entering 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
comparatively nothing, and for as much
longer as the title is in dispute. Complaints
from settlers come from nearly all the
Western States and Territories, and some
of the complaints accuse Government land
agents of collision with the land-grabberS "