Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-21
FORGED TITLES TO LAND.
An Abuse That Demands Prompt
Legislative Action.

Wakeley In T',1dosta Ca Times,
In October, 1885, your paper had an
editorial expressin g regret that the Legis-
lature had adjourned without passing a
law TO protect owners OF land in South
Georgia. The L gislature is now in SEES
sion. Ina case in the United States Cir
cult Court at Macon where Dodge was
complainant and Dodson ct al. were de-
PENDANTS, deeds dated before the war
were found to be written on blanks
printed by James p. Harrison 81 Co., At
lanta, in 1880. The Judge suggested
that the parties forging these deeds
be proceeded against in the State courts.
l have seen but very few OF these man u
featured deeds that did not carry the evil
dence of their spuriousness upon their
face. The tact that so confident and bold
and Indifferent are the parties getting up
the deeds-aud they are generally we'll
known In the community-that they do
not trouble themselves very much about
anything, but make a complete chain
with few deeds scattered along In time
from the date OF the grant to the present
time. They often get the land in counties
that did not exist at the time
they bore date, and now aud then
hit Sunday and go right through the
revenue stamp period without thinking
deeds seldom have any administrators,
executors or sheriff deeds in them. They
constitute generally IA straight line Of
deeds apparently correctly acknowledged,
and 400 acre lot oan be had for few
dollars under these titles. They are cheap
and can be used as security and are very
handy for turpentine, saw mill men and
factors. So that upon millions OF acres
there are the original genuine titles
n R,.l F-g,.- e..
| should say in one county | hayo eX-
amined that 100000 acres are conveyed
by such bogus titles since Jan. ], 1882.
This matter has been tolerated so long
and the evil has become so general that it
Is useless to attempt criminal prOsecu-
ton for past otfenses. There was law
passed in Georgia about 100 years ago
(l785) to make the conveyance OF land
easier, and this lawfully accomplished its
purpose. Any one, by looking at the first
case reported in the first Georgia report
of decisions of the Supreme Court OF
Georgia, can find that 1t was there
held that it was not necessary for
a Justice OF the Peace or other
officer taking the acknowledge
ment of a grantor in a deed
to give the date. venue or other
facts such as he knew the grantor, etc.
Other decisions have said that the mi
tlals OF the onlcers once were sufhcient.
Thus the safeguards and formalities re-
CURED by other States and counties were
dIsgraced in Georgia. Then forgery and
the uttering of forgery outlaw in two
years. Some have said four years, but
if that was the case all the forged
deeds can be dated earlier than four
years. Any deed necessary to be made
later than that can be an actual deed
made by a confederate to prolOng
the chain. Then to convict one would
have to prove the forgery and that it was
within the time of the statute limiting the
punishment OF the otfense. Let the Legrs-
lature pass a bill requiring the officer
taking the acknowledgment OF deed to
put a certificate upon the instrument, the
same as required by Florida and Alabama
and all other States aud Territories and
counties. Then let forgery and the utter
ing OF forgery in the future never
outlaw. Then let some extra chancery
jurisdiction be given to the Superior
Court in establishing and quitting titles
by decree. The landed property of GeOr-
gia would double In twelve months. II
the emIgrant and his money Is wanted
he would soon come. AS it IS now all tue
State suffers except some of the seaport
towns and cities, where by the present
system they receive more spirits of tur-
pentine and rosin and lumber than they
otherwise would.