The herald., 1893-09-11
RAYMOND'S DESERT.
HE SOLD 1T OUT AT A FANCY
PRICE PER ACRE.
But Now Hs IL In jail with q Hundred
and Fifty Indictments Against
Him-A Visit to His
Land.


Walter j. Raymond is in Jail at Day
ton, Ohio, awaiting trial on the first OF
l50 indictments, all charging him with
using the United States mails for frsdu-
lent purposes.
The case Was worked up from the
start by United States Postal Inspector
NJ. H. Flint OF Los Angeles.
In 1880 Raymond acquired 800 acres
of wild mountain land near Tehachepi,
in Kern county. This land. which cost
the speculative Raymond about 40 cents
per acre, he has been selling ct 500 per
acre.
BY means OF alluring advertisements
in hundreds of newspapers, setting forth
the advantages OF the land, as fruit
bearing district, he swindled people out
of sums ranging from 800 to 5000.
In July, 1892, the swindle had grown
to such immense proportions that the
postal authorities sent orders to all
United States postoffices, prohibiting
the delivery OF any money mail to Ray
mond.
Raymond, however, changed the
name of his company to that OF the
California Land and Water Exchange,
under which name he continued to re-
csive money orders and registered let
ters until arrested for fraudulent use OF
the mails.
Raymond's trial comes off in Gin
cinnati in October.
After Raymond's arrest Postal In
spector Flint was sent to examine the
desert lands. He went to Yuma, and
q q nj nd hv< u III .prvv m d d q
of the Southern Pacific railroad, went to
the several sections on handcar. The
ride was an exceedingly hot one. They
carried barrel OF water on the car, and
managed to keep up respiration by TAX
ing turns at bathing in this. The Their
mometer stood 1856 degrees in the sun
with 10 degrees less under an umbrella.
No impress of human effort was found
upon any OF the sections, except that Of
Dryland. Here. q small cabin had been
erected OF railroad ties, but 1t was now
about demolished. An attempt had
been made to dig well, which had
caved in 30 that there was hole in the
ground about four feet deep. O. Shur-.
ney, Pima squaw man, who had dug
the we'll. was found. He said he had
gone down 75 feet through the dry
earth, and that he stopped work be-
cause he never got any pay. He com.
menced the work for Raymond, being
employed by his son, a young man who
was on the land in July, 1892, as agent
for his father. He went there with his
squaw, erected the cabin out of the ties
taken from along the railroad, and with
her assistance dug the hole in the
ground, but. was starved out and had to
leave.
During this stay of young Raymond,
he, at the instance of his sire, wrote
that worthy numerous 'reports" of
copious length describing the condition
of ''our plantation" as it was called
therein. In these missives 1t was repre-
sented that the land was being largely
grown to trees and that the alfalfa was
doing we'll. The letters also showed
how they were getting along with the
water development and how the sold
acres we're being eurvcyed. These let
ters, when received by Raymond, were
transmitted to the postal department
after his money order receipts had been
stopped, to impress those officials with
the idea that he Was acting In good
faith.
For some reason young Raymond ap-
pesred to fall into disfavor with his &C.
tlV6 DhI0uts lOI 6ltoL thO
episode he presented himself to Samuel
Gillespie, manager of the Southern Pa
cific hotel, one day and asked for work.
He was given an opportunity to make
some money backing boots, but this
fsiling to be remunerative, he was pro-
NOTED to the position of dish-washer at
the hotel, until one happy day he re-
ceived letter informing him that he
mad been reinstated in his parents
smiles and condolences and inclosing a
remittance on which he was to return
home, thing he speedily did.
NOT TREE PLANTED.
Inspector Flint states that no effort
had been made to plant tree, not
withstanding many acres of land have
been sold and fully paid for, the deeds
carrying an agreement that the land
sold was to be planted in trees immedi.
ately upon the contract being made, so
that they would be nearly in bearing by
the time all the inatallments of the pur-
chase money had been paid.
Further than this, there was not the
slightest chance of a tree or sprig oil
grass growing on the land If such were
planted. To irrigate the land is impos-
eible except at enormous expense. 1t
lies at an elevation of 400 feet above the
sea and of 220 feet above the Colorado
river, from which Raymond represented
water was to have been taken for irri'
CATION.
H. W. Blaisdell. superintendent OF the
mines at Ogilby, stated to Mr.. Flint
that he had received letter from Ray.
mond a year or more ago inquirine
what he thought would be the best way
to get water on the land. Mr.. Blaisdel
replied that the best way would be tt
get 1t from the Southern Pacific cars.
The section at Pilot Knob Rsymant