The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-27
ALLEGED LAND SWINDLE
TEXAS MAN SAID TO HAVE BOUGHT
THREE INDIANA FARMS.
Men who Sold Them Had no Title or
Interest i'm the PrOperty-The
Method Of Procedure.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WINAMAC, Ind, Oct. 26.-Hanson B.
Hartsdale, of Estacado, Tex, is said to
have been swindled out of $4,000 in an In
diana-Texas land transaction in which he
exchanged 5,OOO-acre cattle ranch in Sher-
man county, Texas, for a 64O-acre farm
in Laprote county, a 1,240 acre farm in
Starke county, and a 4SO-acre farm in Pu-
lash county, Indiana. The transaction
clouds the land titles of legal owners in
Indiana. The lands are known as the
Gidden-Reeves-G idden entries, entered
from the government in 1853, and originally
consisted of 10000 acres of swamp lands.
1t is alleged that Hartsdale read in a
newspaper published in New York an adj
vertisement that a prominent banker
wanted to exchange three farms in Indiana
for a large cattle ranch in Texas and
would pay a cash difference. Hartsdale
answered the advertisement and received
much deliberately printed literature, in
which glowing descriptions of the Indiana
farm lands were made, and details were
given as to the financial standing of Jerome
A. Portland. of Buffalo. N. Y, supposed to
be the advertising banker. After several
weeks correspondence had passed between
Hartsdale and the agents for Banker Port
land, the Indiana-Texas deal was consum-
mated by the exchange and transfer of
deeds through the mails. The abstracts of
title to the Indiana lands were included and
attached thereto were certified certificates
of well-known Indiana attorneys, so care
grantors' names and those of the nonresi-
dent land owners, that the shrewdest of
attorneys, after thorough examination of
the county official records. certified that the
land titles were regular and that the sigma
lures of their clients attached to their
deeds were genuine.
The swindlers, who operated from Chi
cago, first opened correspondence with a
country real estate agent who had these
lands listed on his books for sale They
requested that descriptions of several large
tracts of lands owned by nonresidents be
sent to them. After several letters had
passed, one OF their members called on the
agent with the request to be shown one
particular tract. A careful examination was
made of the improvements, number acres
cultivated and Of pastures and woodlands
running streams of water, and the distance
and location of churches and schoolhouses
Plats of land were made with demand
for abstract of title. With all this valua-
BILE information in his possession, the
swindler, on his return to Chicago opened
correspondence with the nonresident land
owners, and after several letters had been
received containing the owners signatures
all correspondence ceased with information
from the preSumptive buyer that the land
did not suit him. Meantime the swindlers
were busy preparing warranty deeds with
the signatures of nonresident land owners
carefully forged, conveying his Indiana
farm lands to some fictitious grantee.
Hartsdale, after a careful Investigation
found that he had not shadow of a title
to the Indiana lands, and he would not
record his deeds. He returned Immediately
back to Sherman county, Texas, to proven,
recording of any deeds against his property
in that county.