Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-10-05

LUkD SAULLIsS MISSOURI FARMS.
Owns Over 4O.eo0 Acres, All Cultivated By
Tsaants.--Is An American citizen.
Lord Scully of London, England, has
just completed the purchase Of q vast
body Of land in Bates County, Mo. He
now owns outright over 10000 acres
OF the choicest land in the county, for
which he paid about ST 100000. The
purchase was simply an investment, so
his agents declare, for his SON and his
widowed daughter-in-law. What ef-
feet this heavy purchase will have on
the values in the community, it is GER
tain that the merchants Of Butler are
beginning to feel the effect OF the
change in ownership. whether Lord
Scully is proposing to carry out the
ideas already fastened on England, /.
e., the growth of land estates under
one ruler, with tenantry to work the
farms, is left for the future to decide.
1t is certain that such condition now
exists on his various farms In the
county.
The first purchase of land in Butler
County was made by Lord Scully'S
agents in 1894. Since then they have
bought up, from time to time, the best
farms in the county. His agents, the
principal one of whom was r. w.
Kenohle Of Springfield, ILL.,, took over
land trips through the county. When
they came to piece of land that
struck their fancy it was bought with
out question as to the price. In this
way many of the old settlers Of the
county sold out their homesteads and
were glad of the opportunity. The
land brought from $25 to $35 per acre.
Most Of it ranged at $50. 1t was
months after the Scully agents began
to buy farm land before any one sus-
pected that such big deals were Oh
foot. Then the farmers who had land
to sell besieged the agents with i'm
portunities to buy their farms. The
agents quit buying and disappeared
from Bates County, giving out that
they had all the land they wanted.
For awhile the farmers who had land
for sale desisted in their efforts and
Lord Scully was forgotten.
A year or so later they appeared
again in the county, and for months
they rode from one end to the other.
They would start out from Butler
every morning and return in theaeven-
ing. The receipts from the recording.
fees placed that Office at the top of the
list as the best paying one. Instru-
ments by the page are recorded there
and the fees are all paid by William
Scully. In one week over $4,000
changed hands through the Scnlly
transactions.
Then the people of the county be-
gan to inquire into the matter A bill
preventing an alien from owning more
than 10000 acres Of land in any cOun-
ty in the State was introduced and
passed in the Thirty eighth General
Assembly. This was introduced by
the Representative of this county and
directed at Lord Scully. The latter
was too wise to be caught mapping
He slipped over from London, and be-
fore the law went into effect tele
gram was sent out from Washingtole
that Lord Sully had become citizen
of this country, and had been natural
lied Thus the law was evaded, and
his agents continued to purchase land
in his name, which they kept up until
a few months ago. At the present time
his farms are scattered all over Bates
County These farms contain from
10000 to $4,000 acres, and the value is
placed at more than $1,20O,00O at the
minimum.
The one feature which the citizens Of
the county are SO bitterly opposed to
is the fact that improvements are al
lowed to wane and the farms, instead
of being the pride Of their tenants, are
running to waste. At the present time
they are all placed under the tenant
system. The rents are not exorbitant-
Only 50 to $3.50 per acre is charged,
and SO far, in case Of crop failure,
this has been refunded in many in
stances. Three men who have head
quarters in Butler are constantly en-
gagged in looking after the Scully inter
ests. They collect the rents and other.
wise look after the farms. Lord Soul
" pays about one-tenth of the taxes Of
the county and the land he owns meas
ures nearly eight square miles If the
farms were placed side by side. Al
though there are more than $4,000
acres of land in the country, the Scully
lands make big inroad on the valua-