Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-10-21

about his removal from thatof7ce bfit 81
did not deter Grant from appointing bir,
! registrar OF the frouton land once in
1880. just before his second term e1uired.
thereby indicating the buudor CON
stancy with which the great military
Senlus chung 90 his old friendships
whether tbe objects OF them were wor-
thy or not
Robert T.. Lindsay. The ron. inherited
many O. The traits of his father mo
keenness of mind. renialltr OF r,arne-
and. unfortunately the shifry standard
OF morals. The younger Lindsay was
educated iu the law and had heceD+eres
hrs energies on the practice OF that PRO
fesslon along honorable lines DE would
have attained place OF prominence
among lawyers. Instead he turned from
The law to real estate. and carly in his
career began the devolopuent OF tho
most gigantic steal of the century. IL
is around this swirdle. with Robert p
Lindsay as the pivotal character thar
this bit of history turns.
This steal has passed into criminal
history under The tiJs 90 the Missouri
Land League. The 90 men who were
convicted for this crime were tbs
pioneers Bro the science of government
land stealing on wholesale basis
Do my dealings with criminals have
always been disposed 90 throw heavier
mantle Cl charity around The evil-foer
who by birth. environment and lack OF
opportunity FOR better thlrrs. has fol-
lowed criminal paths. than around the
well-bred. luXu-iou-ly rurtured thief
whose wrouE-toilc is contrary 90 and
not because of carly traiuiur-or ueces-
sity. such crimes ass these Ei-aDtic land
grabs. therefore. appeal Go me as being
OF @ peculiarly vicious kind. and the
prosecution ot the Cu'prits believe Co
cali for efforts 90 extraordinary earnest
ness on The part of The government
Land grabbing. as cXemp,iGod in tho
Missouri case. was a composite crime OF
which forgery. perjury larceny. arson
and murder were the c0mpoucnts. In
calculable wrong was done 90 tho own
ers ~ millions OF acres OF land 10 say
nothing OF the moral wrong OF the crime
itself by the unsettlinr OF titles 10 the
farms OF Southeast Missouri
Naturally one OF the richest spots
m the country-tho valleys fertile and
the mountains OF solid mineral of In
eStimable valuc-tho work OF tho land
grafters q tbs '70s was bueht on
the land FOR a generation.
II there ever was a spo< IN nature
untitled for thostor OF crime. IL IS
tho Arcadia valley In southeast MIS-
souri,. TIA soil is rich. its streams
clear az crystal its air hay blue. and
its people peaceful Yot here was the
scene Of a score of crimes Of violence
growing out OF tho one big plot TO
steal land from tho government and
sell q by irregular titlos 20 people
Who could I'D aGori 20 lose their saw
ings.
To this day in Arcadia valley there
IS pointed out 90 the traveller a tree
from whose gaunt limbs i men have
been hanged between the civil war
and the time I entered tho valley
In the hunt Tor land orators These
tragedies were all the gtewsome fruit
OF The one big crime Tho victims
wore men whose crime. was knowing
too much about ths operations OF the
land thieves knowing TOO much some
times by accident and sometimes
through their own misguided efforts
In the land OK "moonshine" stills
knowing too much has been a capital
omcnso punishable by deatth az the
hands OF self-constiuted Judges and
exccutionors. So 40 was IN Arcadia
valley and throughout southwest
ern Missouri following tho civil war
tho taboooc subject being land frauds
Instead OF the making OF white corn
whisky.
Prom this readers must not infer
that Robert L. Lindsay and the other
principal thieves were in a conspiracy
10 commit murder: but they were in
a conspiracy that led to murder as an
incident Young Lindsay was SUI
preme In the district and his word was
law. even when IL meant tho commits
sion OF crimes OF violence 10 protect
the land conspirators Ia their nefarious
plans
A large number OF supernumeraries
wer0 necessary. men who little by
little were dragged into the crime
vortex for raeager pay, RnC Gee In
volvsd. were driven TO u-s rate
crimes 10 protect themselves. In
Vulnerable county officials and other
men-prominent within the county
lines, but the m9rest coss In the big
machine q fraud-were drawn INFO
the common cause OF land stealing.
Such men composed strong secret.
oath-bOund rings IN the counties OF
Shannon. Dent, Butler. Wayne. Rey-
nolds, Iron. Carter. Oregon, Madison,
Stoddard and Ripley.
Do not understand me 10 say that
all officials in these counties were cor
rupt. for some we're honest men who
dared not move against the thieves.
There were enough or the dishonest
ones. however. 20 control largely in
public affairs OF the district, and 10
succeed Ia fostering a general belief
that no mans lie was safe who be-
came informer
Thus matters stood in the fan OK
1875; Carl Schurz was secretary of
the interior and James ]. Brooks was
chief OF the secret service. Elmer
Washburn having been deposed by