The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-24
.l85 LAND GRABBING.
The Experience Of a Prominent
VIII Land Owner of Henrico.


The Experience Of a Prominent
Land Owner of Henrico.
Editor OF rho Timos- Dispatch:
q Slr,-T'here Is no moro cheering sigh
Of rho times than that afforded by your
exposure OF tho system OF J"land-grab-
hlng," which has grown up Under war
rant OF law during the past few years,
and vol, will have tho cordial thnEks
of our county men for your spirited GID.
betting OF this abuse. 55 t85
But treasurer Todd has not touched
tho darker aspects Of this Owl. Under
his statement OF the case q lanu,oMn ~.
would be safe II he should promptly pay
all taxes levied against him but, as y
matter Of fact tho prompt payment OF al
claims affords to II citizen Of Henrico
no protection against the exploits OF
courty authorities.
Hero is a case in point: For more
than third Of n century / have been
arcsidcntof Henrico county, and have
paid every tax bill as 1t became due;
yet during the past few years four at q.
tcmpts have been made by county OIL ON
oials and licensed pettifoggers to extortl
money from me, two Of when atte'1ipts
were successful
E IN ono instance delinquency was
claimed on land which could be identi-
fiod In no other way thar by declaring
1t to be "near the Hungary road" as
there are two Hungary roads IN the
county, with an aggregate length OF some
twelve or fifteen miles. the problem
seemed perplexlng one, 80 slipped out
of the difficulty by paying the claim.
In another instance tract o. ana
was described as adjoining Harris,
1 but the Harris family is numerous, and
much scattered SO again gave up the
struggle and paid that claim also. "a!
The next demand was based on two
items running back some fifteen years,
ard calling for sxty-odd dollars. But
there was, fortunately clue here ar
forded by the words formerly DAWSON
so 7 turned to the title Of n tract which
I had purchased II from Dr. Davidson.
Tho deed had been drawn by ono OF inc
ablest conveyancers in Richmond and
tho abstract credited mo with the items
In question, which were d deducted from
the purchase money, and so recorded.
Or bringing these facts to the atten--Ss
4 ton OF the county clerk, ] was told that
the law forbade him to go beyond the
records Of his office; that tho tax stood
on his books against mo, and that
must either pay tho bills, produce tho
receipts or lose the land.
III got interested in the matter. ! was
certain that the tax bills had been paid.
yet to find the receipts was another
story; for It had long been my custom
to make payment by check, ard l had
no other regular method Of preserving
receipts But believed those receipts
were somewhere among my papers; and.
after devoting the leisure Of many weeks
to general rummngc, I found them.
duly receipted by the deputy clerk him
self. took them to the clerk. the lion.
Samuel P. NVaddill, and asked him II
he could identify the signatures He
turned to his book, compared the dates
and amounts. eEtered the credits there,
scrunched the bills In his hand and blandly
remarked that accidents would some
times happen.
/ was on guard now. The next time
Maid taxes I looked over the delinquent
list and found uyself charged with
delinquency, though I held the receipt
for It in my hand. On calling attention
to the error. the treasurer cautioned me
against being what he called "obstropo-
lous" about It; and so. half-despairing,
went to County Surveyor Redd ana
begged him to make a plat of that por-
ton OF the county where my little hold
irgs are situated, drawing them to scale
and giving deed-book reference to each
tract, Sl
This work was carefully done. and was
we'll worth, to me. the thirty or forty
dollars which it cost although 1t would
be somewhat detrimental to the inter-
ests OF the county, or its rulers. For
one OF tho first facts which this plat re-
ycaled was that for years ] had been
paying three separate taxes on certain
tract of land which appeared on the
books under different designations.
am glad to BIO able to say that the two
erroneous claims were cheerfully can
celled, but there seems to be no way
OF recovering the money which had been
extorted.
Now. Mr.. Editor, r have no reason for
supposing that my experience differs
from that OF all other land-holders; and
II that assumption be true. wo surely
need not worder why Virginia is tagging
behind her sister States.
/. TTor aught 4 know 1T may DO unpa-
triotic or against public policy to uncover
these sores; ; still, such practices, in tho.
long run, must prove fatal. It Is an
order OF things which poisons attts
source all trend Of honest effort ard
bars out all rational hope. II unre-
b,ked 1t would faint with squalor the
most opulent Of cities; 1t would Whelm
In bankruptcy any people who would
endure It; It would change the falrest
land on earth into dissolution and a
waste 9 i
/ will rot sign this paper, nor Will I
be drawn into a newspaper controversy;
but you are 5at liberty to give my name
to any one who has q right to ask forlit.
BACK MOODS.
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.