The herald., 1897-08-08
GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS
H. p. SWEET AND HIS ANTELOPE
VALLEY ALMOND LANDS
Arrested for Using the Mails With
Intent to Defraud-The De-
fendant's Explanation


H. p. Sweet and others, charging them
with using the United States mails for
conducting a land scheme with intent
10 defraud. The indictment alleges that
Sweet and others, representing them
selves as owners of land in Antelope
valley, which Is described in a circular
as "Plat Of the Farm, Field and Fireside
Colony, Almondale and Llano, on the
Rio del Llano, Los Angeles County,
CAL" offered for sale at SIS per acre,
with promise to deliver to persons send
ing their money to them, a deed Of prop
erty conveying perfect title, and claim
irg that said land was in an irrigation
district which owned enough water to
irrigate all said land. The indictment
claims that the defendants could not
convey a perfect title, nor any title al
all, and it further claims that there was
not sufficient water, as pretended by
representations in the circular.
incorporated in the Indictment Is the
following letter alleged to have been
placed in the Los Angeles office March
oath, 1896:
Office of the Columbia Colonization
company, incorporated, H. P. Sweet. gen.
eral manager, office 31S Stimson building,
Los Angeles, Cal. Also general manager of
Farm Field and Fireside Southern Cali
fornia colony.
Mr.. Olive Miller, Myrtle, Cal.-Dear Sir:
We, holding your past due paper for $500,
and presuming you would like to stop IN
terest, I would like to ask you to arrange
to take up same at once. We stand ready
to make you deed in accordance with the
bond for deed if you desire it.
There is no question about your title,
no matter whether the Wright act stands
or not The colonists are expecting us to
continue the tunnel and this can only be
done by all those who owe us obligations
meeting them promptly, as we are putting
all our ready cash, and some more, into
the colony enterprise, and are borrowing
large sums besides. We will send you
warranty deed if you want it. OF course.
we would credit you with the amount of
work done on the survey We write this
because we really need the money and
need it badly to continue the enterprise.
You will not only save interest but other
expenses. Let us hear from you Very
truly yours, H. T. SWEET
Another letter under date of March
81, 1896. expresses delight that Mr.. Mil
Ter "is well and happily located" refers
to "croakers that would rather growl and
stir up strife than eat," and hopes the
Lord will either show them" (presuma
bly, the croakers) 1.-The error Of their
ways or inject enough intelligence into
them to keep truthful tongue" and
states that 1.-The deed is good and suffi-
cient; you are fully protected, and we
are prepared to defend your title against
any claim Of any or all persons what
soever The title of the land is
absolute" etc. Another letter under date
of October T. 1896, to Olof Benson, Llano,
CAL, invites further interest in the col
ony by offering go acres in the colony
for the price of 20 acres.
Two printed ciruclars are attached to
the indictment, reading upon the out
side cover as follows: Southern Cali
fornia Colony. Farm, Field and Fire
side Colony department, northeast cor
ner Franklin and Madison streets Chi
cago. James w. Wilson, general man
ager, Chicago. H. P. Sweet, western.
manager. L. C. Tilghman, resident
agent, Llano, Cal" These circulars set
forth the various advantages and at
fractions of the locality specified, as is
the wont of that class of advertisements,
with pictures Of farm and field that are
calculated to call to the minds eye
another picture of the third factor in the
trio-fire eside-that might be injected
into the landscape by the prospective
owners.
Late yesterday afternoon Mr.. Sweet
gave bonds in the sum OF $4,000, with E.
W. Reynolds, J. H. Trow and ]. d. Mon
roe as sureties.
10 acf tv1cr Nv AZ
said that the notoriety connected with
this matter was unfortunate and most
distasteful to him; that he hadlived here
nearly thirteen years and expected to
remain here, ard that he always, had
and always would shrink from notoriety.
but that since the indictment must be
published he would merely state that
the proposition in brief is this:
THE Howard & Wilson Publishing
company in Chicago, having demands
for cheap lands, and at the earnest So
licitation of B. F. Carter and his sors,
who have been the prime movers in find
ing this Indictment, consulted the best
legal advice in Los Angeles and conclud-
ed TO purchase of the Big Rock Creek
district the lands in question. The lands
were afterward sold in the ordinary
course of business. The question: of title
is based wholly and rests upon the con-
stitutionality of the Wright act, which
has been confirmed by the United States
supreme court.
IF the Wright act is law, our titles
are gooo; if it is not. we propose to make
our titles good. B. F. Carter is the larg-
est holder of some bonds whose legality
has been questioned, which were issued
in 1890, and he has used his influence
through them to the securing of this in
dictment Garter and his sors' were the
chief cause of Howard & Wilson's locat-
ing on these very lands" said Mr. Sweet,
in conclusion, and it may be that these
two men are the Others who, with Mr.
c.-oet ara chareed in the indictment