The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-23
Land that NO State owns
Dangerous Locality for One Who Can
not Dodge Bullets.
STAMPING GROUND FOR CRIME
Meanderings of the Missouri River tho
Real Cause OF the Murder of Robert
Phillips Somewhere Between
Iowa and Nebraska.
BY the United Press.

BY the United Press.
Tekamah, Neb Feb. 22.-The pecu-
liar meanderings of the Missouri river
have been responsible for more vio-
lent crimes in Burt county than all
other causes put together. Sudden
changes in the channel of the Big
Muddy have caused numerous disputes
over land titles, which the courts have
not been able to settle satisfactorily
to claimants and lawyers. Even the de-
cision of the United States supreme
court has proved 50 befuddling that the
authorities are at their wits ends as
to the course to pursue to control the
laWless elements congregated on the
banks of the Missouri on land that
has been formed by accretion or trans
ferred to the Nebraska side by a change
in the course of the river.
The murder of Robert Phillips two
weeks ago is the latest violent death
growing out of this condition of af-
fairs, and while the crime was a most
cold blooded one, the murderer Is at
liberty because of the fact that the
officers of Burt county are convinced
that they have no jurisdiction in the
case, and the Iowa officials do not pro-
pose to be put to the expense of prose-
cutting criminal for a crime COM
mitted in Nebraska. There are a number
of strips of made" ground in this
county which have in reality thus be-
come veritable mo mans land" The
ground where Phillips met his death is
five miles east of Tekamah, and the
title of 1t Is now being contested in the
courts. Fred Lass, young man who
thought that possession was mine
points of the law" carried some tim
Der on the land while the case was
in court and built hut, in which he
placed several men to hold possession
One of these men was Phillips In
the meantime some parties, as vet I'M
known, hired gang of men to drive
the squatters off. On the night of Feb
an attack was made on the Lass
shanty, and the four men in charge
surrendered. After they had come out
of the shanty and were standing with
their hands in the air, James p. Blann,
| the leader of the attacking party,
opened fire on them. and Phillips was
SO severely wounded that he died in
side of twenty-four hours.
The Authorities Timid.
Blann escaped, but was later. cap
tured and placed in Jail, only to be re-
leased when the caunty authorities had
| Investigated and discovered that the
place where the shooting took place
was in Iowa, according to their inter-
probation of the decision of the United
States supreme court. An attempt was
made to have the Iowa authorities take
up the case, but so far nothing has
been done, and it is probable that the
death of Phillips will go unavenged.
Just three years ago man was killed
on the very same spot and no arrests
were made. Owing to the legal compli-
cations, none of this land where the
crime was committed is taxed by the
county.
On another tract of accretion land,
twelve miles northeast of Tekamah a
dispute arose over the ownership, when
one wills Wilson struck an antagonist
with a heavy club and beat him into
insensibility Monday evening. The fell
lows recovery is doubtful.
on Holman's Island, a tract of sew
eral hundred acres cut off from Iowa
and owned by /. N. Holman, about ff-
teen miles north or near Decatur, on
the east, a free fist fight and slugging
| match took place a week or so ago in
which young man by the name of
Stevens was so hammered up that he
has since died and no efforts have been
made toward prosecution. The island
is regularly surveyed Iowa lands, under
the jurisdiction of Iowa, and pays taxes
into Monona county's treasury, yet il
lies on this side of the present river
channel.
Burt county is more than willing>-it
is anxious-to stamp ou this shame and
drive the outlaw class from along her
border, but refuses to act for the want
of Jurisdiction