Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-02
OLD LAND TITLES.

In tie land office at jackson. Miss. are
$1,000 lndelivered patents to land. In all
of the II. land offices of the United States
this is without a parallel. a majority of
these patents are for lands acquired many
years ago and some of them contain the
genuine signatures of the earlier presi-
dents. OF late years the custom is for 4
clerk % atiiX the signature of the pres
ident and there is no attempt at imitation
of the handwriting of that functionary.
| found many interesting documents in
tn. fIleroom of that land office. The parch-
ment deeds from Spain TO England are in
a fairls good state of preservation and the
handwriting is as lesibic as that on the
current records of the office OF to-day.
ATTACHED TO one of these instruments is
Il ribbon two inches in width ard two
feet i'll length. faded hut otherwise well
preser ,ed. AT the end of this Is Il seal
of wax as large as a small cake of toilet
soap, on one side of which is an atrOcious
looking lamb. such as ~iittingly represents
the peaceful and inoffensive~ disposition OF
Spain, and on the reverse. images Of Ferdi-
| nanG md Isabella.
There are also a number of cessions from
III. English crown TO various subjects who.
either on account of distinguished services
or IL money consideration. ere granted
vast tracts of land in this country. AL
though these documents were issued prior
TO or during the Revolutionary war. they
are as perfect as when King George III.
af.iXef his signature. One bearing date
of October s. 1I1i. is almost as white as
so much paper and the writing is as plain
as though the ink had just dried on the
surface. 1t is some three feet in length
by two feet in width. and. although what
is called rawhide. is almost as flexible as
| tanned leather. | thought l. could detect
in the language of these a let
ting down on prices and a recklessness
in des ,riptions of the tracts granted AZ the
war progressed, Indicating ,ha. King
George had about concluded to lump II
off as a sort of bargain counter lot. let
ting the tail and. in fact. the whole car
caSs. 90 with the hide.
The grants before the war began were
| distinctly stated to be for distinguished
| services or for a sum of money named in
| pounds. shillinsS and pence. whereas those
given during the progress of the war, and
| especially thos. just before its close. when
| the beneficiary would scarcely have time
| 10 reach this country and obtain posses
sion before the lands We're the property of
Uncle Sam, simply declared they wer.
hereby granted 10 the iiouourabIc Rich
| ard Woody mede. OF Devonshire. and con-
tain I'll the lands bordering on Shapes
creek. in the Jurisdiction Of For, Matches.
as Tar "a an Indian can travel in ii day
II his j. a sample of the ability Of the
late iamcuted George 1t is probably as
we'll for him that he has departed this life.
The average rotary public in the back dis
tric.s Of Arkansas would not be caught
dead viii such a description in his pocket.
No excuse that ne was busy that day and
thought any old description would do. can
relieve the king from the odium Of such
had ,:ork. He might AT least have inGi-
| Gated whether the indian was trav.iin.
toward government ~rarions or away from
them And then the fact that no consid-
GRAFTON was named i,npairs tn. validity of
the Instrument. and he must have known
this. /; really looks as though he stood
in with ,He gang and was one OF the
original laI! grabbe-s.
Very likely IN a century or two from now
L similar condition will he found 10 exist
in OF: recently acquired possessions from
Spain and that about the tim ta- news
OF the Manila and Santiago business
reacheJ Sasasta ne dashed of Il fev' coz
c~essiGns to typewr!te-s and Office boys
about him. aud the queen regent signed
them under the impression they were jus;
common letters. II will be very -mbar-
raSs!'G 20 find Cuba ard Porto Rico pias-
tered over with this sort of titles. cover
ing some millions Of miles square more
than the islands contain. I think / car
So ire lawyers. in the y--rs to CONE
gong over the hills AID through re
>wanps Of the Queen Of the Antilles WIN
a shFep's hide in one hand and !nsirGc-
tons 10 find and locate the land in the
other. 1t viii be a game of hite-and-seek.
SO TO speak. ALBERT Il, GREENE.