Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-13
LOOTINC The PUBLIC DOMAIN
Methods Employed to De 'rsud the United
States Out Of Public Land.
SAMPLE TRICKS OF LAND GRABBtRs
Injustice ResuItinE from the Acquisi-
ton OF Large Tracts OF Land
by Cattle and Lumber
Companies.

lands are equalled only by the absolute
observation-disclosures OF this class Of swind
lers. Every possible device Is resorted TO
by the men who have sought to acquire
illegal title to the public domain, and even
the startling examples OF a United States
senator sentenced to a penitentiary term
and numerous land kings" struggling in
the tolls of the law have not apparently
served to diminish the attempts to perpe-
trate similar frauds
An instance of this character which has
Just come to light was found in Idaho. A
single contractor had erected on the order
OF land company thirty-four cabins on
many homestead entries-"one hundred
and sixties" they are called In the land
office-had furnished them with the usual
meagre furniture Of the genuine cabin, had
actually built fires in the little sheet iron
stoves, in order that the cabins might APP
pear TO have been occupied and had hung
from the rafters of each fragment Of a
fitch of bacon. on each zone hundred and
sixty about a quarter OF an acre had been
actually titled and planted to potatoes.
The entries were made In the name OF
thirty-four individuals, the work done by
the contractor was performed the following
summer. and when the legal fourteen
months had expired the alleged settlers
dppthEtu UtloIt "a lUiNtu bAhNts CoHttnls-
sloner, each made afidavlt that he had
lived on and cultivated his claim for four
teen months, paid down the nominal price
OF S1.25 an acre prescribed by law, where
the Communication clause of the homestead
act is availed of, and final proof having
thus been made title was granted, subject
10 final ratification by the land Office in
Washington.
Marrow Shave,
1t was just here that something aroused
the suspicion of the special agent charged
with passing on the claims, and he began an
investigation, which revealed the fact that
one of the claimants had ever resided
on the land, that the cabins and the cult
walton had all been performed by single
contractor. acting under orders from large
land company, and that each of the ficti-
tious settlers was under contract to sell his
homestead. as soon as the title was per-
fected, to the land company for a nominal
sum. Had the scheme worked in this in
stance, as it doubtless has in numerous
others, the land company would have ac-
quired a tract of $40 acres at cost OF
little less than 5000, and this tract would
have been worth at the least calculation
s55.OOO would probably have yielded double
or treble that sum in timber and then the
denuded land would have been left in the
hands of the land company, to be sold as
opportunity offered for grazing purposes
Another fertile source of fraud Is the pro-
vision of the land law which entities SOL
diers or soldiers widows to deduct from the
five years necessary TO q free homestead
entry the term of army service Of such
soldier. For instance, a land or cattle COM
pany desiring to secure title to large tract
will scour the country for INDECENT Wild
ows OF old soldiers. When a sufficient
company has been gathered together each
will be located" on a homestead entry.
These women are generally ignorant of the
character OF the transaction in which they
are asked to participate. They are only
informed that they can secure their living
and from $50 to SIS in cash by living for
six months each year in a little cabin
which will be furnished them without ex-
pense. II soldier has served throughout
the war. four years, his widow can prove
up" after one years residence on the claim,
and this year is apocryphal, for in prac-
tice, II is reduced to six months, generally
the summer season. When the time comes
TO prove up" the widow is escorted to the
local land office, or the United States court,
and there told to swear to certain papers,
which she does without inquiring as to
their contents. As soon as her title is APP
proved in Washington she deeds the land
TO the company which employed her, re-
J ceives her bonus and disappears.
A wOman's Trick.
In Oregon an instance was recently dis
covered. almost under the nose OF the court
which was trying Senator Mitchell for COM
plicity in land frauds. young woman
made entry on 100 acres, and put up cabin
six months after she made her entry, and
In, thA
months later she filed an affidavit that she
was too Ill to go on the land that summer,
and continued to file such affidavits until
the suspicious OF the land ONCE were
aroused. Investigation revealed the fact
that she was not In any sense a bona fde
settler; that she had never cultivated the
land. and doubtless never intended to.
In the same neighborhood a case was
found where a man living in the village had
made homestead entry. He erected cabir
and was eultivating on his claim a scan'
acre of potatoes. Meanwhile he had beer
cutting the timber with which the claim
was covered. When detected by the agent
charged WITH investigating such cases Inc
had cut timber worth $1,000 and had con-
tracted for it's sale. He had also sought q
sell the REIMBURSEMENT OF his claim to some
one else who would become a real settler
Had he been successful he would have &C
auired 1900 worth of timber. for which ht
had given no return whatever. and would
have deprived the claim OF just that much
value to the settler who followed him. bu
who would have bought his relinqushmeu
because It represented three years OF tn,
ive necessary 10 perfect title withou
cash payment
In South Dakota a few months ago
company sent to St. Paul and Minneapolis
and gathered up on the streets of thos,
cities twenty-six men who were glad of al
opportunity to perjure themselves for s.
apiece and six months board and lodging
Their claims. had the scheme avoided de
lection. would have been proved up a
the end OF fourteen months under the com
mutation clause,
Detected iE Time,
sim another instance has recently com
TO light, where a man and his wife. bot
school teachers, have taken up homestea
valuable for It's timber. They have crecte
little shack and spent their vacation o.
the claim, eultivating IL TO the extent OF
small kitchen garden. The fraudulen
character OF their residence" was deteete
just In time 70 prevent their securing title
Ordinary claims can be entered onl
where the government has caused a surve
10 be made and the Department OF the In
terror has sought to preserve certain lores