The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-12
Land Fraud Investigation Starts
Things in Washington.
No More Proofs on Timber En-
tries to Be Received.
LED TO INVESTIGATION
Believed That the Law Has Been
Evaded.
Cattle Companies Used It to
Hold the Lands.

The department at Washington to-
day took a. hand in the fraud investi-
cations now going on in Kansas which
may result in the vacat ting of hundreds
of thousands of acres of land, and in
cidentally the further unearthing of
instances of perjury.
Notice was received at the Topeka
land Office that the accepting of proofs
on timber culture land entries in Kan
sas are from now on suspended until
the present investigation being carried
on by A. R. Green is completed.
These are the words of the order,
but they are significant with meaning.
A law passed years ago, but now re-
peaIed, allows persons to file on kan
sas land, to the extent of I60 acres for
each entry, on the condition that with
in seven years time SIS trees would
be planted on the place and cultivated.
A margin of six additional years was
given in case the cultivation was not
at first successful. Should it be found
impossible for trees to be grown at all
then the man upon showing that he
had done his part was allowed his
patent anyway.
This law gave a lot of cattlemen an
opportunity to get additional pastur-
age and thousands of timber culture
entries were taken out It is said that
not in one instance out of hundred
was the law actually complied with,
but that in most instances the land
was kept by the man who fled on it,
because he purchased some witness
who said that he helped in the planting
and cultivating Of the trees. Hundreds
of instances of this nature present
rank perjury.
The law was repealed several years
ago, but there are still several thOus-
and proofs being made every year by
( persons on land which they swore they
took and cultivated for timber culture.
| But investigation has proved SO much
attempt to defraud the government,
and so many instances of succeeding,
that a special probing into this feature
of the Kansas land situation will be
taken UP.
So the Departments today issued an
arbitrary order to accent or consider
no more proofs on timber culture land
until further notice IS given. This or
der of course went to every land Office
| in Kansas and it stops that method of
obtaining land, whether the affidavits
| are regular and legitimate, or whether
/ they are fraudulent and present sub
ornation of perjury.
This is the first direct interference
on the part of the government, and it
shows how deep the land fraud in
vestigation in Kansas is going. Some
more orders are anticipated, but their
nature is not yet hinted at.
1t will mean one thing, however, that
probably a half million acres of land
which would have been proved upon
! this year as having been taken for tim
4 Der culture had the present probing
not been commenced, will in all prob
ability lie unclaimed and will again be
thrown open. People who had plan
ned to get possession of land by means
of perjury will be scared out by the
/ investigation Some of them may have
enough nerve to push their claims,
however. One thing is sure to follow
in any event and that is that the next
grand jury to take up the land matters
will have some cases on their hands
for perjury in connection with fraudu-
! lent timber culture proofs.