Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-30
Another Swindler Arrested at
the Investigation of the
Postoffice Authorities
HAD FINE TOWN ON PAPER
Crusade Against swindlers Has Ex-
tended Over Year-Extensive
Transactions in Bogus Deeds to Land
in Tennessee-History of the Case
Other Arrests May Follow.

st. Louis, Mo-, July 3o.-The arrest
of Henry A. Bradford. Of this city, on
:, charge of using the mails to defraud
Is the latest of the series of arrests
growing out of the fraudulent use Oh
domain quit-claim deeds to 40
900 acres of land in Scott county. Ten
ressee, made in 1878 by the state 10
George p. Sanders, who no longer fig
ures in the transactions.
Bradford's enterprise it appears, was
more ambitious than some of the ear
lier ones exploited. Bradford. it is as
serted. had founded on paper a town
called Helenwood. in Scott county,
Tennessee. 1t covered 500 acres, and on
the blueprints found in his possession
a magnificent summer hotel occupied
the middle ground and all around 1t
were attractive lots which were to be
sold only to desirable summer visitors
who would build upon them. The ho-
tel, it is alleged. exists nowhere except
the blueprnts of the summer resort of
Helenwood.
The first trouble of an alleged fraud
ulent nature was discovered In Decean :
Der, 1902, by the postotfice inspectors
in Arkansas and st. Louis, who fol-
lowed up the complaint of w. II. Co.
hen. Of Pine Bluff. Ark. who had pur-
chased 1000 acres of one Of the Sanders
tracts. Cohen said he answered an adj
vertisement in the ST. Louis papers
stating that w. l.. McA.pine, of Whit
temore, Iowa, owned 1000 acres of
heavily timbered coal land in Scott
county, Tennessee. he would sell for
5000. Cohen wrote to McAlpine. and
the latter referred him to John A. Cobb.
of cambridge, Ohio. Cohen claimed
Alpine and Cobb he bought the land
and received deed made to George p.
Sanders.
The next case was that of E. L. Reed.
who said he had purchased 1000 acres
Of land from McAlpine upon the same
terms and that visit to the land
showed it occupied by cid settlers who
had been there many years and whose
titles generally were clear.
These two cases developed the his
tory of the Sanders deeds, which in
Guided nine land grants of 500 GacreS
each i'll Scott county. The grants, 1t is
said, conveyed no title except quit
claim for public domain, to which none
existed in Scott county, as all the pub
lie land had been filed upon while the
territory was in the counties of Camp
bell and Fentress. The registrars Of
flee in Huntsville shows that from this
total grant of $4,000 acres. 23S,000 acres
had been sold under the name of George
P. Sanders by various land swindlers
AS soon as the Sanders clews We're
found many arrests followed John A.
Cobb was arrested at West Baden, Ind
Feb. 26, 1903, and held until ms pectors
arrived from Huntsville, where they
had gone to arrest L. p. Jeffrles, an at
torney. on a charge of issuing fraudu-
lent abstracts for land and selling
them at So each.
Cobb. it is said. had papers in his
possession that showed that Frank II
Reppert, Of Cincinnati. o., and 7. S
Wells, of cambridge. o., both notaries
public, had been selling blank deeds
signed and sealed by notaries public
Cobb is said to have admitted that A.
l.. Whyman. Cincinnati, o., had pro-
CURED some of these deeds, selling
them at 81 a dozen. Upon this infor-
nation Whyman was arrested March
Z, and confessed to the truth Of Cobbs
statement to authorities.
Among Cobb's effects were papers
1ino fiy,o act 70
agent at Benton Harbor Mich. formerly
of indianapolis and South Bend, Ind
Mikels was arrested by inspectors at
Benton Harbor. Mich, March 81, for
dealing in fraudulent land. w. II. IL
Miller. S. e. Struble, and G. w. ]. Volts
of Newark, o., We're arrested on April
9, and later Louis c. Boyle, the son OF
a banker at Whittemore, Iowa, was
arrested.
Papers in the possession of Miller,
Struble and Nay Mikel, implicated Jo-
seph P. Ward, Central City, Colo, who
was arrested here on June is.
Then followed the arrest of G. Will
son, of Caldwell, formerly of Whiting,
md, at Jellico, Tenn. on July s. VIII
son, the authorities charge, was offer
ing to eject squatters and to perfect
titles to their land for 10 cents a title.
Further investigation led to the ar
rest of Andrew A. Kober ex-city clerk
of Leipsic, O., who. it is claimed, was
implicated with Cobb.
The arrest of Bradford was the latest
that has been made. though inspect
ors have several others on their lists.
Many indictments have been return
ed and the cases will be tried at COL
umbus, O. The men indicted VIII be
tried under what the postoftlce ae-
partment calls the conspiracy act"
GOVERNMENT WILL RETRENCH
Exnenses rs Governing the Philippines