The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-05
SURVEYORS EMPLOYED TO
 LOCATE DISPUTED LANDS


 direct to 1t by the parties who have been nn the land and holding it adversely for | a long number of years. Some of the parties have old deeds from those from whom they bought. but most of the ven- | dors rely for their title on the long num- Der of years of adverse or continuous ad- verse possession. and have sold to the Warrior River Coal and Land Company with that understanding.
 Injustice Charged.
 We also defy Rutledge to prove that the Warrior River Coal and Land Com panv have one deed from any outlaw. or | criminal. unless such men as M. M. Gwin. Joseph Humber, Levy Humber. F. | r. Parsons. John Reeves William Glaze, Tom Glover. Lewis Short and many other | such good and substantial citizens of Jeff ferson County can be classed as outlaws and criminals. The men who sold these lands to the Warrior River Coal and Land Company are willing and ready to compare characters with MT. Rutledge and his gang who arc seeking through the State to throw suspicion upon some of the best citizens of Jefferson County. MT. Rutledge and his gang are seeking through and a. the expense of the State to do great injustice to a lot of good men. which he and his gang fear to do personally
 Tn The Birmingham News of July is also the following remarkable statement: The alleged scheme to Robble up certain University lands was discovered by Cap tain A. B. McEachin, who reported the same to the June meeting of the Board of Trustees Captain McEachin made no such discovery, and he will not so state.
 McEachin Notififled.
 "As soon as the attorneys for the Warrior River Coal and Land Company ascertained that some of the lands be- longing to the company were claimed by the University. the company at once sent one of its attorneys to Tuskaloosa and laid the whole matter before Captain McEachin. the attorney for the Univer- s.ty, and this was done to avoid litigation If possible If the University had the best title. the lands would have been given up to 1t. but If not, then we pro- pose~ to hold Ase lands we had bought. Captain McEachin was given the descrip- ton of each forty acres of land. the names of the parties who had sold to us and the number of years each vendor had lived on the same
 captain McEachin afterwards sent his son to Bessemer. and he was given an- other list and every facility given him to fully investigate the matter as he saw it. We are informed that Captain Mc- Eachin now has a man on the ground looking into tie, University lands and no obstacle has or will be thrown in the way of thorough and complete investigation. Matter of Deeds.
 "As to any fraudulent deeds. every deed taken by the Warrior River Coal and Land Company has been put on record in Jefferson county without reserve, and the persons who gave these deeds signed them before a proper officer. Every outlaw and criminal can be easily ascertained from said records, without resort to sensation al reports. Some of the lands in question were donated to the University and the taAia barna State Land Company, from 16h8 to 1884, but at the time of such dona- Ition the people who sold these lands or l their ancestors were on the lands and cultivating them before such donation. There has never been any effort on the part of the University or the lawyers representing 1t to get possession of these lands by suit or otherwise. If the Uni versity could have dispossessed the par ties in possession. why was 1t not done?
 The University and private corpora tions have had agents on these lands seeking to scare these people into giving a deed or paying rent, but have succeeded in only soaring few. The others sold to the Warrior River Coal and Land Com pany. as they had the right to do, and we had the right to purchase, without I tions. The people who owned these lands have lived on them for many years, built homes, raised families and are good and substantial citizens despite the fact that Rutledge calls them outlaws, criminals, | etc.
 Everything on Record. Tt will do Rutledge and the private corporations no good to cry conspiracy in the face of all of the facts in this mat I L.. | to public inspection. If the University has the best right and title to the land the courts are open to it to ascertain that right as well as to the private corpora tons, and any sane man ought to know that a title cannot be determined by newspaper correspondence. or sensation al reports. It can only be done in the courts. The cry of conspiracy and prose- cution Is almost too ridiculous to notice and is really Imaginable in the face of the facts of this matter.
 If a man and his ancestors have occu- pied lands for from twenty-three to sev- enty-f1ve years. he certainly can hold the land by prescription, and sell his interest therein. Go on MT. Rutledge. and at the expense of the State prosecute and per secute for the private corporations, but we will make 1t very sensational for you and your gang when the proper time comes. We do not propose to fight the matter out in the papers. but to do so in the courts like sane men. not fearing, but defyipg you and your gang. If Rut- ledge will visit Birmingham one day the latter part of next week he will see a bill filed to quiet the title to all of this prop erty. G. M. Lovejoy,
 President of the Warrior River Coal and
 Land Company.
 "W K. Smith,
 w F. Porter,