The National tribune., 1901-03-21
SWINDLERS AT WORK
Fraudulent Claims Made by ALI
legged Land Agents.
Sec. HITCHCOCK WARNS VETERANS.
Pay No Money to Strangers Who Promise
to File Soldiers Declarations on kiOwa
and Comanche Lands.


the benefit of the old soldier. This pro-
vision bids fair to be the innocent means
of .swindling thousands of veterans out of
their money, unless they exercise great
caution in dealing with alleged agents who
propose TO file declaratOry statements for
them.
The act in question gave an advantage
to honorably discharged soldiers and sail
ers over other citizens, in that it allowed
them to file their declarations upon certain
specified quarter sections and gave them
six months time in which to go and settle
upon the land, their selections in the mean
tiIue being held up and not open 10 entry
by any one else. At the end of siN months,
provided the soldier should not appear
aud actually settle upon the land covered
by his declaPatory statement, the land
was 10 be opened TO the first conner.
Certain men claiming to be agents or
attorneys have taken advantage of this
situation. and have advertised broadcast
through the country, in the newspapers,
and by circular letters, offering to make
these filings for soldiers for fee ranging
from $40 to 500, as the case may be.
The Secretary of the Interior regards
the operations of these agents as fraud
uIent, and desires TO warn all veterans to
observe great caution in dealing with
them, and to pay no money to anyone on
this account except TO one whom they
know personally to be responsible
One of the most active of these agents
is Il man named CumminS, who sends cir
culars from Kingfisher, Oklahoma Terri
Tory, which are very cunningly worded.
The promises made in these circulars are
most seductive. lie claims to have abso-
Lutte knowledge of all the lands in the
reservations, to know the good land from
the worthless, and guarantees most posi-
lively that he can and will, for fee, hle
soldiers applications upon quarter sec
tions which he asserts in every case will
be worth from 5000 to $1,000 as soon as
acquired; and that if he is patroniZed, and
their interests placed in his hands, no mis-
take can possibly be made either as to the
certainty OF securing the 160 acres, or as
TO the good quality of the homestead he
will select.
This matter has been referred by the
Secretary Of the Interior to the Attorney
General, and it has been aScertained that
this man CumminS is not recognized as a
practitioner before the Department, and,
Furthermore, that his professions as to
ability to do certain things are necessarily
dishonest.
In the first place, Congress provided
that this land should he opened by proc
lamation by the President, who should pre-
scribe the manner and means of settle
ment.
Secondly, it is not known. and cannot
be known, to any person how or when the
opening will be made, and the method by
which the land is 10 be secured in every
detail has not yet been decided upon.
1t is obvious, therefore, that any agent
processing to have full knowledge and
ability to do what Mr.. Cummins and
others of his class are claiming, is claim
ing the impossible.
When the Cherokee strip was opened
agents who had soldiers declaratories to
file were formed in line like other settlers,
and were allowed simply to make one
entry and then go back to the end
of the line and come up again. In
the meantime perhaps thousand entries
had been made and in all probability the
land covered by the soldiers declaratory
had been taken. Should such method be
adopted again, it is clear that no agent
could safely act for more than one per-
son.
In this case, in the opinion OF the Off
cials of the General Land Office, there
will be two or three applicants for every
habitable quarter section subject to entry
after all the Indian allotmcnts. school sec
tiOns and pasture lands and the military
reservations have been taken out.
No one knows yet what lands the In
dians will take up. but it is known they
viii take the best. After their all0t-
mentS have been made and the sections
have been taken and the pasture lands
marked out at the Local Land Office, these
reservations must all be recorded, and the
balance of the land weeded out. 50 that
IT shall be known, and OF record, what
sections and quarter sections are still open
to the settlers. All of this work will re-
quire months, so that it is not thought at
the Department that the opening will take
81
scrlbed by Congress, which will be August
g. But, as stated above, the date has
not yet been settled upon, and cannot
be for some months to come
1t has also come TO the knowledge of
the Secretary of the Interior that offers
have been made in various parts of the
country 10 purchase honorable discharges
from soldiers themselves or from their
widows, with the apparent intention TO
use them in fling declaratory statements.
Such business is held to be as fraudulent
as 1t would be to get a pension on the
name OF q dead man. Should the CON
summation Of such transactions come ofii-
cially 10 the knowledge of the Department
the parties will be prosecuted.
Some one out West started n rumor
some time ago 10 the effect that these
lands would be opened by lottery. and
numerous inquiries have been received con-
corning this alleged method. There is no
foundation for this story. There will be
no lottery in the case, it is safe to say.
Below will be found copy OF Il letter
written last Saturday by Secretary Hitch.
cock in response to an inquiry concerning
the proposition of MIR. Cummins above
mentioned. This letter is as follows:
Department Of the Interior,
Washington, March 16, 1901
Dear Sir: / am in receipt of your let
ter of the 18th inst, inclosing copy Of
letter addressed by you 10 B. V. Cummins
OF Kingfsher, Oklahoma, together witt
Mr. Cummins's answer. These letter!
show that Mr.. Cummins is ADVERTISING
himself as 'old soldiers declaratory state
ment filing agent" and is further ad
vertising that he has special advantage,
in procuring homes for old soldiers anC
sailors, their widows and minor children
IN the lands now constituting the Kiowa
COmanche and Apache Reservation an,
the Wichita Reservation. In his answe
10 your letter Of the 2Gth ultimo, in speak
ing Of filings on behalf of old soldiers, h.
says:
IF ! have 1000 TO file will take abou
three minutes TO do it. How | have al
ways filed and will file again is my sc
cret. Twenty years around a land ofic
has been an advantage"
The facts arc: Mr.. Cummins has no
been authorized by this Department {
act as an attorney or agent for claimant
before any branch of the Land Deparf
ment. He does not have, nor will h
have, any advantage over others in pro
curing lands in these reservations whe
they are opened for settlement and entry
These reservations will not be oDene