The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-10-20


Timber Company does not own on inch
OF the land whose richness it glorities.
The Commonwealth Title aud Trust
Company, OF Philadelphia, a most re-
spectacle and conservative concern,
found that out, and promptly refused TO
act longer MS the timber company's
trustee The Standard Coal and Tim
Der Company has not hut nor hole
on any part OF all this land. This land
in West Virginia mas long been play
grOud for litigation, Up very little
time ago it was a wild, uninhabited
country. Nowadays its prospective
value is becoming apparent, for rail
roads are beginning to penetrate 1t II
is prize worth stealing.
The 100000 acres OF land claimed BY
the timber company is part OF tract OF
$4,000 acres. The title to these 100000
acres is clear enough from March l.
1895, to February q, 1866. There is
recorded in Ta2ewell county court q
deed dated February q, 1866, which
conveys this tract from Michael Bowler
to Henry /. Morris. This deed is also
recorded in the Mcdowell county court
OH the came date.
ERSsT's ATrT2AyiT.
This deed is q forgery, and the Stand
ard Coal and Timber Company knows
that it is forgery. There is also re-
corded in the circuit court OF Mcdowell
county in suit touching this tract OF
land, in which Samuel q. B. Cook is the
plaintiff and Mary J.. Saca and others
are defendants, deposition by Ferdl-
nand a. l.. Ernst, taken in New York.
It was taken before Waton G. Dupignac.
Ernst swears that the deed to the 32u,-
900 acres oil land in West Virginia, pur-
porting TO be signed by Henry l. Nor
ris, was made in New York, and was
signed by a young man whose name
was not Henry L. Morris. This affidavit
OF Ernst is extremely interesting read
ing.
"The young man who signed the
name OF Henry /. Morris to the deco"
Ernst swears, told me that Major
Chadwick had paid him to- sign that
deed and he had signed the name OF
Henry l.. Morris, although that was not
his name, and that he did not care a
damn what the consequences might be,
that he would hold Charlie 0. Richard
son and Chadwick.
OPERATORS IN WILD LAND.
HE had received only few dollars
for the Job. Richardson is an operator
in wild land; Chadwick is a sharp opera
tor in anything in which there is any
money, and has been three times in
state prison"
Morris, it appears, was paid 50 in
New York saloon for committing the
forgery, and the World gives an inter-
esting history OF the transaction. Sew
eral interviews with the real owners OF
the land which the fake company claims
to own appear, among them one with
Colonel W. q. w. Ieager, OF Philadel-
phia, who says in part;
81 remember" says Colonel leager,
"when that scheme was Matched. A
man named Jesse Irwin, who lives at
Weich, W. Va, but who has passed
considerable time in New York and
other cities around here, claimed tract
OF land embracing 100000 acres in the
Robert Morris grant. He had no title
to this land. Harris Hoyt, OF New
York, was partner OF Irwin in this
| claim.
"a plan for bringing out fake
deed was concocted. a Mrs. Smith,
also OF New York, was mixed up in the
scheme. Papers giving all the details
and names OF all The parties connected
are on file in the court house in WEIGH,
Back in 1875 these people met in
saloon on the southwest corner OF Dey
and Church streets, New York, and
made out TIE deed. A man from Brook
iyn, whose name / forget-it is on the
papers which stated were on file at
Welch-was hired to pose "a Henry l..
Morris. He was paid 9 for what he did.
"A deed for 1000 acres was made out
from Michael Bowler to this Pseudo
Henry L. Morris, who then signed
deed OF the same property to Morgan
II. Hasklns.
THE DEED DATED BACK.
"This deed was dated back to 1866,
and in some manner they succeeded in
getting it recorded under that date.
From this start the 32O,OOO.acre tract
was handed along by series OF deeds
until it landed in the hands OF the
Scotch Coal, Iron and Railroad Com
pany. This concern issued lot OF
bonds, which they sold to innocent
purchasers. Some OF these bonds are
being hawked around now, qnite lot
being held in Baltimore. Only three
weeks ago friend sent me couple of
81 900 bonds of the Scotch Company to
sell for him. He was much surprised
when told him that the company ex-
listed no longer aud his bonds were
worthless"
The men who bought up the Standard
Coal and Timber Company had no in
tention OF doing things in a halfway
manner. Therefore, it was not surpris-
ing to find theis offices in one Of the
finest Office buildings in Philadelphia
the Penn Mutual building, No. Sl3
Chestnut street. They have two large
rooms OH tho fifth foer. elegantly fur
nished and with all the facilities for do
ing rushing business. Soft carpets.
luxurious chairs, beautiful engravings
on the richly papered walls-all these
comforts are calculated to instll into the
visitor an undisputable idea eli the
prosperity OF the Standard Coal and
Timber Company.
MIGHTY "sLrcE" SCHEME
A customer of the Manhattan Trading
Company, No. Is Broadway, who was
SO chagrined that he refused to give his
name, said that the scheme was the
"slickest he had ever fallen in with.
"Nlr. Cokefair," said he, wanted to
dispose OF note for $500, and offered
one OF the Standard 81, 900 bonds as col
lateral The bond was nicely got up by