Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-24
SELL LAND RIGHTS
Special Agent Curtis in Des Moines
Investigating Number Of Land
Frauds in Connection With Sol
diers' Claims.

Dies Moines, May 24.--Special Agent
Curtis of the United States land Of
flee. who is now in Des Moines, has
been busted for the past month with n
series Of Investigations Of soldiers
land claims, which he has found IN
many instances to be fraudulent. The
procedure thru which the title to the
land passes on the way from the gov
eminent to the brokers who are en-
gagged in purchasing the rights of SOL
diers is i'll nearly every instance found
wanting.
| Soldierf,' homestead rights in the
states of iowa, Nebraska and Missouri
are in contest. The manner in which
the claims come to the attention Of the
government is not peculiar. According
to an act of congress passed June %,
1874 all soldiers who have filed on 4
parcel of land, no matter how small.
have the right TO maintain the remain
| ing portion not in excess of $50 stcres.
Thus IL IA soldier of tile civil war has,
prior to the passage CT the act, made
use OF his homestead rights on sixty
acres, he gains the right to file on or
dispose Of the remaining 100 acres.
The result has been that thousands
of soldiers have neglected to avail
themselves of the land really belonging
to them. Real estate brokers thru
out the United States realizing that
profit might be gained from the owner
ship of these titles have Investigated
the, homestead records for information
regarding these filings made prior to
1874 ana have compared them with the
pension records, thus finding the legal
owners OF the homestead rights.
Most of the brokers have been care
full to find that the records were clear
before any rights Were purchased and
in these cases no difficulties have re-
suited However, in other and IN the
majority of instances INSCRIPTIONS
land men have found where previous
entry was made, also a soldier on the
pension rolls whose name corresponds
with the land record. Thus the soldier
has been induced to give Il title to the
homestead right.
Do Big Guinness.
Agent Curtis, however. upon close
examination, has found that in over
10, 600 applications for these titles there
are a majority of fraudulent entries.
No one loses money thru the trans
action except the broker. who is out
the cost Of the proceeding. No money
is ever paid to the soldier as he must
first show his right to the title before
transferring 1t to the brokers.
Mr.. Curtis states that the brokers n
3rc 10 lfa S,aln
land In the best possible location in
the United States with regard to tim
Der land and good agricultural lands.
and Oregon, have beer fairly swamped
with work attendant on the soldiers
homestead right business.
In large number of instances in
Iowa particularly, the validity OF the
claims have been found sadly lacking.
The holders of the. rights always
cross" themselves before they have
negotiated far in the work. The gov
eminent land offices have not the
slightest trouble in locating the fraud
as reference to the land office and
pension records is only necessary to
find that wrongful party has been
tampering with the homestead rights
Of some person bearing similar name
or who, perhaps, is dead.
1t is usually claimed that mistake
has led to the transaction and the
soldier as well as the broker is always
sorry of the trouble to which the. land
office has been put in looking up the
straight of the affair. With the amount,
of work which Mr.. Curtis has on hand
at the present time. in the homestead
business he expects 10 be busted for
the greater part of the summer.