Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1895-11-02
MAMMOTH LAND SUITS.
West Virginia Towns and Timber
Companies Concerned.

The noted land suits of Fl. G.
King, of Boston, Mass, in which
hundreds of people, hamlets, towns,
timbercompanies, farmers and miners
in Logan, Mingo, Mcdowell counties.
and, in tact, nearly all of the south
western part of the State, are con-
cerned, have come up for trial in the
United States Court before Judge j.
j. Jackson, at Parkersburg.
Judge Maynard Styles. of Boston,is
one of the chief counsel in the array
of talent on the side Of the plaintiff
(King). On the side Of the defend
ants are Hon. VIM. Chiffon, Secre-
tary of State, who Is himself defend
ant to the amount of $4,000 in
lands. Judge james Ferguson rep
resents the Blankenships. There
are twenty other lawyers engaged.
The entire town of Williamson, in
Mingo county, is at stake,and thous-
ands Of farms, on which generations
have been born, lived their allotted
time and died, are in jeopardy.
The suit is in its totality for fully
100000 acres of land, and original
ly was part of the Swami land grant
for 100000 acres in Kentucky,
Virginia and West Virginia.
General James Swami, who was a
Revolutionary hero, was granted the
100000 acres by the House OF
Burgesses of Virginia in June, 1895.
Swami, who was native of Boston,
nevertheless a protege of the old
Commonwealth ofVirginia, conceived
the idea of building up a Utopia in
the vast territory granted him, and
immediately went to France, TO con-
suit with his old friends in the
French allied. army. His French
comrades became interested in the
scheme, and through them Swami
was introduced at court, where he
became acquainted with the royalty
of Europe.
Among those who contributed to
Swann's Utopia were dukes, princes
and lesser nobility, almost without
number. The old documents and
papers in the archives of the court,
yellow with age, ARE written in French,
and bear the signatures of men and
women who we're at enc time at the
heads OF governments or leaders of
the fast and frivolous courts of Eu-
ope.
Unluckily for Swami, his appear
ance in France was at time when
money was scarce, and the fnanciers
demanded payment Of credits, and
Swami, who had participated too
deeply in the follies of court, found
himself in debt over 100000 francs.
SWANS creditors demanded pay
ment in cash or mortgage OF his
American possessions. He refused
to do either, and was cast into pris-
on, in the notorious prison Pelagie,
where, under the then prevailing
French laws, he was, with the ex.
ception Of deprivation ofliberty sup
ported in the manner in which he
had lived while at liberty. He had
his wines from the south of France /;
his cuisine was supplied by the best
cafes OF Paris his apartments were
luxurious in the extreme.
Swami remained . prisoner for
ten years, and was released during
the noted "three days" when the
prisons were torn down or the doors
thrown open. He was released only
to die of a broken heart three years
later. His lands we're forfeited, but
were reconveyed by Virginia to the
heirs.
Meanwhile, settlers by the thous-
and located or purchased towns grew
up, generation after generation was
born, lived and died on the lands,
which they had purchased in good
faith at delinquent or other sales I'M
til all the country covered by the
great Swami Utopia was covered by
claimants to the number of thous-
ands.
The celebrated Fl. G. King suit,
which is of absorbing interest to
thousands, is for part Of these lands.
Other suits depend largely upon the
result of the present suit.