The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-01
Travelled Many Days, Only to
Halt in a Barre n
Desert.
THE ROMANCE RUDELY ENDED
Promoter Gathers in Many Shekel:
and the Victims Gain Some
Experience.

SANTA BARBARA, CAL, April 3d.
Seven weeks ago party of seven Santa
Barbarans started out from here, por-
ton on horseback and the remainder in
teams, their object point being a locality
in Southeastern Nevada, where they wished
to inspect some school lands in which
they had invested together with a number
of friends in this vicinity who were unable
to make the trip.
The leader of the expedition was for.
mer resident of this county who had
borne an excellent reputation and who
proves to also WELD facile and flowery
pen. He had induced a considerable col
ony to invest in the valley to which they
were travelling on his representations that
1t was q small paradise containing some
10000 acres of rich, tiilable soil, beauti-
fully wooded and watered, with valuable
deposits of the richest rock salt and di-
rectly on the surveyed line of the Salt
Lake City and Los Angeles Railroad.
Every stage of the journey was marked
by an enthusiastic and highly colored let
ter from this gentleman. published in a
local paper, describing in romantic Ian
guage the delightful country through
X,
did hunting and glorious prospects before
it. Suddenly the final letter stating that
on the next day the goal would be reached
wasabruptly followed by the news pub
lished by the local press that the writer
had returned in wonderfully quick time
across country, and that his companions
would be along in few days.
These gentlemen have now arrived and
tell q story of grewsome experience with q
sorry ending. They state that after being
led across a dreary country where water
and fodder were lacking, and suffering
every discomfort and privation, they
came to the alleged paradise, which proved
to be small and barren tract, of which
the valley portions were poor and worth
less and the mesas above the reach of irri-
CATION. Some lines were made By sur
veyor, and the sections for which some Of
the party had paid proved to be worthless
river-bed.
Their leader and organizer at this juno
ture went off to look up some horses, and
it is matter of general qualification
among the rest that he never returned, as
they were then in a mood to organize a
necktie party on the spot. They made
UDelT way DdCk aCIOS5 bHe QSseTLS ana
mountains they had crossed and entered
Santa Barbara wiser and more contented
men than when they left.
The extent of the loss entailed by this
wildcat colonization scheme cannot al
this moment be ascertained, although it is
known that about 10000 acres had been
filed upon, large number of the in
vestors having in good faith paid their
first installment of % cents an acre and
an additional quarter on every acre to
their guide for locating the lands.
A meeting of those interested has been
called, and some steps will be Immediately
taken to retrieve their losses.
The most bitterly disappointed among
the group are at loss to account for the
extraordinary fraud perpetrated upon
them, and their locator seems bewildered
and unable to explain his behavior. While
he has pocketed a considerable amount OF
money, he has made no attempt to escape
the laws clutches, and has offered to turn
over what property he possesses to make
good the losses sustained.
Meanwhile, several Santa Barbara men
with nice bank accounts who had author
lied friends in the expedition to select
locations for them are congratulatlng
themselves on their escape.