The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-17
KANSAS NEWS.
A Deathbed Confession Dis
closes q Big Fraud.
Perpetrated Almost q Half
Century in Linn County.
AN INFANT is ROBBED.
Suit Is Begun to Quiet Title to
200 Acres.
Liable to Land Two or Three
Persons in Prison.

Fort Scott. Kan. Sept. 17.-Deputy
United States Marshal Hamlin has
served papers in a suit that discloses a
fraud which was perpetrated almost a
half century ago In which there was a
big land steal There are several inno-
cent parties that are named as defend
ants and they are simply made parties
to the suit The suit is to quiet the title
to some 200 acres of land up in Linn
county. that was patented in 1859.
George Frederick DeRemo is the COM
planning witness in the suit, and the
defendants are Jacob Taylor, the For
ward Reduction company. the Union
Central Insurance company, Robert H.
Ireland, James r. Kennedy and Robert
J. Etherington. All are innocent parties
TO the suit with the exception Of Ireland
and Kennedy.
According to the petition. which is a
lengthy one. the complainant was de-
frauded out Of his rights years ago by
the forging of his name to the deed for
the farm as an allotment from the gov
eminent. which was made when he was
an infant. When the allotment was
made the papers were placed in the
hands of trustees, who are unknown,
and they were forged and the land new
er came into his possession. The land
has since been divided into number of
farms. ana LnlS IS the reason Tor naming
all of the other parties as parties in the
action. In the event that the matter is
proven to have been a forgery, there is
a possibility that the innocent parties
will come onto Ireland and charge that
he has detrauded them in this matter,
and in this manner there will probably
be large suit as result, or several of
them.
The petition alleges tina DeRemo was
a member of the@Mian1i tribe of Indians
and that he was born in Fort Wayne.
Ind, Indian reservation in March, 1859.
In October he was allotted a tract of 200
acres of land by the government. and at
that time being but seven months old.
the land was placed in the hands of
trustees 1t is alleged that he moved to
Linn county in 1881 with his parents
and has resided there since and that all
of the time he has been kept in lgnOr-
ance of his rights until the discovery
was made by accident. 1t alleges that
Ireland, Kennedy and Donaldson con-
spired to defraud him out of his rights,
and that they transferred the land to
several hands and thus it became di-
vided I'D and all of the time the COM
plainant was kept in ignorance of these
facts.
1t is claimed that the discovery of the
fraud was made,by the department at
Washington, and that later one of the
conspirators made a deathbed confess
sion of the fraud. but 1t is not known
which Of them it was that made it.
Attorney 0. s. Severance of Kansas
City is acting attorney for the COM
plainant and it Is possible that the case
viii come up at the next term of the
federal court here. 1t seems that Ire
land is the only party to the fraud that
is living in this country, and it is prob
able that If the matter is proven to be
a fraud that it is claimed that the in
nocent parties will come onto him for a
settlement.
The case is one of the most compli-
Gated cases of fraud that was ever per-
petrated in this part of the country and
there will probably be several fraud
suits filed as result of the same.