The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-01-03
LIE COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA, FRIDAY ia
BIG LAND FRAUDS DISCOVERED.
Patents to Valuable Property Apparent
Obtained by ColluSIOn.

Patents to Valuable Property Apparently
Obtained by Collusion.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.-The investi-
CATION now in progress in the general
land office in relation to the fraudulent
patent for valuable iron lands near Du-
luth is nearly completed, and the testi-
mony taken shows either fraud un-
paralleled in the history of the Office or
inattention, carlessness and incom-
potency amounting almost to criminal
ity. The entry of this land was ex-
amined and approved for patent by
Douglas, the clerk in charge of such
matters, while a controversy involving
the same land was pending before the
secretary, and while a written protest
and cayeat against the patent, signed
by James X. Reddington, representing
adverse claimants, were actually lying
before him with the other papers. AT
ter the entry had been so approved it
was taken out of it's regular order and
sent to the patenting division of the Of
flee, where it was rushed through to
patent in four days, ahead of thousands
of other cases entitled to patent in reg
ular order, and ahead of hundreds
of such patents actually written out tand
ready for signature. The patent was
recorded instantly upon it's delivery to
the parties interested, and several con-
veyances were also recorded with evil
dent intent to put the record title in tho
hands of ostensible third parties. Tho
grave question now, aside from the pun
ishment of any of the offenders within
official reach, is how tho title thus
fradulently obtained can be reclaimed
by the government. 1t is probably inn
possible to vacate the fraudulent title
without suit by the United States under
direction of the attorney general This,
it is believed, will be one result of the
investigation. The exposure has greatly
excited attorneys and others interested
in land matters. If such operations are
possible, there is no security for honest
claimants or reputable attorneys, and
an emphatic demand is made for pro.
lection in the future by thorough re-
organization of the personnel and change
in the methods Of the Office.
Three Opium Smugs'crs Ca ptured.
OTTAWA, Ont, Dec. 27.-Adyaces from
British Columbia state that, encouraged
by past success, opium smugglers be.
tween Victoria and the United Stata,
post at Puget Sound are becoming moro
defiant over tho rich harvest they are
rcaping. Last week three opium
smugglers were captured at Tacoma,
with 100 pounds of opium in their pos
session. Two of the men are noted
smugglers of the sound country, aud
have been hunted by every inspector of
customs for the past four years. Their
names are Bill Easton, alias Black Bill,
Jack Powers and a Northern Pacific
railway conductor named Fisher. The
opium was taken to Tacoma from Vic
toria on the olympian, but the men
were unable to land il on account of tho
inspectors. On Wednesday morning a
man was sent out from the steamer in a
small boat as a decoy, but only one
inspector followed and the other
watched them land the opium. Then
he called on them to surrender, at the
same time covering them with his
revolver. The men were turned over to
Deputy United States Marshal Price
and taken to the county Jail, but were
released on $1,000 bonds furnished in
cash by Easton, The value of tho
opium is S2,2l0.