The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1906-07-19

coal IanAN WltUlu the i0St ltW
wears has brought upon the
market a large quantity of prop
ertv that some years ago was
re- gar d as almost without
value. Much of this land de-
psnds upon tax titles and for
feiturcs derived from the Com
monwealth. and much of il is
involved i'm litigation. and its
ownership is complicated by an
web Of on ficting
title Much of it Is connected
with inter tin z historical
events bordering on the roman
tie
I'm the year 1898 the Common
wealth of Virginia granted to
James Swan a one hundred
acre tract which lis
i'm what is Dickinson
county. and the boundary en-
braces some of the choicest coal
property I'm this entire region.
The tract. along with "a number
0f other tracts. was patented in
the latter part of the eighteenth
century, and the entire patent
contained about one million
acres. I'm 1915 Swan went TO
France and engaged In business.
borrowing large sums of money
from French officers. or the
.children of French officers.
These officers had fought under
Lafayette. i'm our aid. i'm our
great struggle for independence.
Swan failing I'm business i'm
Paris. b beca am e bankrupt and
was unable TO pay his French
.crodit0rs. and was finally inn
.prIsoned for his debts. and 10 is
.saii to have died I'm debtor S
prison
The vast boundaries of land
m Virginia owned 10y Swan
We're chiefly mountainous. un-
cultivated. and almost entirely
in "a state of nature. 10. of
course. was alm0at withO Il Q
value and the taxes were not
paid for "a number of years, and
|uudor acts of the legislature
passed from 1881 TO 1886 this
Immense boundary was forfeit
|ed to the Commonwealth for
.nonpayment of taxes, and
|agan became the property of
Virginia.
The creditors of James Swan
sent "a epres tatiVo from
France. Mr. John u. Dumas. "a
look into Swan 3 holdings.
When Dumas arrived in Rich
mond he found that Swan s
land was forfeited to the State
with an accumulation of taxes
'aggregating more than the land
would have brought i'm the mar
ket Ihereupon Dumas applied
90 the General Assembly of Nir
g'nia for relief He urged thaf
Swans creditors consisted OF
French citizens or their descend
ants who had aided the young
republic in it's contest for in
dependence, and from patriot,
motives, If for no other reason
lne legislature should gran
inns relief. This appeal hrough
forth proper results, and on tn,
.9th day of March, 1885. the
legislature passed an act remit
ing all taxes charged or charge
able against the Swan land
Wherever situated, and also re
+, granted said land 10 the sal,
dumas in trust for Swans cred
ilors, with power to sell an,
convey said land absolutely.
\ On December End. lS47, Du
mas died. and at the June term
1890, OF kanawha county cir
cuit court, Josiah Randall wa
substituted trustee for Dumas
Win Ike power to sell and con
TeY. On the 10th of September
300, Josiah Randall died. an,
,Ae courts substituted Robert L
randall for the Virginia an,
4 vest Virginia lands, West Vii
s GINA IN tbe meantime havin,
\ oeen carved from the mothe
4 9'aie and given sovereignty
q an 1886 Robert f.. Randall re
& S'shed as trustee and John II
heid OF Philadelphia, was al
pointed trustee, with like pow
SIs 10 sell and convey. Tn
, 'anls were conveyed by Reid t