The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-07-21


Bowles.
When he returned to Tallahassee he began buy.
ing tax certificates to land In Liberty County,
from w. d. Barnes, then Comptroller. AT first ne
bought them covering forty-acre tracts, then ono.
hundredacre tracts, next whole sections anu
townships, paying In some instances LESS THAN
FOUR MILLS PER ACRE For certificates Gov
ering one tract of forty-fve thousand acres he
paid $17500. Abstracts now on record In Liberty
County show that Graham had tax deeds to two
hundred thousand acres, purchased from the
State for a song.
In 1887 Graham returned to Liberty County
and began logging on large scale, supplying tho
large mills at Carrabelle with logs He en-
ployed large number OF teams and men and paid
big wages He operated in the county from 1887
to 1898. During those years he cut wide swain
in the section, he fitted up a handsome office In
Tallahassee and became known as young Nh
poleon Of Finance"
His manner were pleasing, but he had the face
of villain, the ethics Of freebooter and the
methods OF pirate.
During the years 1SS7-1S92 he sold 100000 acres
of land in Liberty County to which he had
ABSOLUTELY NO LEGAL TITLE, except tax
deeds that were QUESTIONED ON THEIR
FACE, to 100000 acres
When Graham set out to steal Liberty County 1t
was necessary for him to have assistance. The
clerk of the court, d. G. Harrell was man d.
scribed as good, well-meaning man, but very
weak, and drunkard Grahams keen eye dts
covered In him an easy victim He bent all h.s
accomplishments Of tongue and manner, sr)
plemented by bountiful supplies Of whiskey, II ee-
y administered, and Harrell became as wax In
his hands The things he would not have done
sober, he did drunk
Graham had access to the clerks office AT ALL
TIMES and spent his time there He made alb.
sracts Of deeds which HARRELL CERTIFIED,
making alterations, 1t Is said to include lands not
originally included IN the schedules
Another victim he found In Haley T. Block
er, who was the last receiver appointed by the
court for the ApalachicOa Land Co. This corn
pany had large holdings Of timber lands, of the
original Forbes purchase, granted In payment or
had practically ALL BEEN SOLD by John Beard
and other former receivers Of the Apalachicola
Land Co. When Mr.. Boards receivership was
terminated, Haley T. Blocker was appointed to
confirm Mr. Boards sales and to wind up the az
fairs Of the company.
Page 652 Of Book f. Records Of Lber.y County
shows entry OF deed from Haley T. Blocker, RG
ceiver to John Alexander Graham, under date OF
Feb. a. 1888, to $4,000 acres of land. FOLLOWING
this Is an entry of tax deed from the state 70
Graham conveying 100000 acres and four other
entries OF deeds from Blocker to Graham convey
Ing various large tracts. Entries show these
lands In tracts varying from 10000 to $4,000
acres sold by Graham to James l.. CAFES Of Mil
waukee, Wis, for which he was paid approx.
mately 100000
Whether Graham actually had deeds from
Blocker to all these lands or not is not known
but after ne had fortified himself with abstracts
to everything he wanted certified by HarreI
Clerk OF the Court, he went to Chicago and 900
the lands about 100000 acres, to James l.. Gates
of Milwaukee.
The deeds from Blocker were later SHOWN TIL
BE FRAUDULENT, the lands having already
been sold by former receivers, and were act aside
by Judge Walker In a decree In which he declared
them void. See record Leon County. Carr
ct al vs.. Apalachicola Land Co.
After the sale to Gates the question of the
validity OF Graham's title was raised, and Gates
sent his lawyer to Bristol to make investiga.
lions, but when ne arrived, late In 1889, he found
ONE OF THE RECORD BOOKS HAD MySTE.
RIOUSLY DISAPPEARED He went back 20
Milwaukee to confer with Gates and upon his
return found that Harrell had abandoned HIS NJ
nee, and THE OTHER RECORD BOOK HAD
ALSO DISAPPEARED Harreil had becoma 3
hopeless sot and few months later was re
ported to have died in Georgia ~ -
That Graham STOLE or caused to be stolen the
record hooks ID and Il M ONE TN TuTprNS