Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-25
FINDS OLD LAND PATENTS
Books and Possibly Gets
Windfall
Special to The Herald.

SpeCldl 10 Inc Herald
SAN BERNARDINO, Feb. "a
George Nickum, a local grocer's clerk,
is believed to have fallen into rich
estate through the purchase of a lot
of old books in Los Angeles recently
In looking over the books, which form
erly belonged to an old miser named
Morgan Morgan, Nickum brought to
light two land patents covering eighty
acres each, situated near the town of
Palestine, Ill.
1t is believed that Morgan received
these patents from the government in
1927 and 1929, and instead of disposing
of the property in later years merely
placed the patents in some of these
old books, where they remained until
discovered by Nickum. The patents
are signed by John Quincy Adams and
Andrew Jackson as presidents of the
United States.
Friends of Nickum urge him to i'm
mediately take steps to ascertain in
what condition the titles to the two
tracts are at the present time OF
course, there is a strong possibility
that the properties have been sold for
taxes many years ago, but it is barely
likely that Nickum in purchasing the
patents with the books has secured the
lands Also
men went to Cotton last night to at
tend the first annual banquet of the
Cotton chamber of commerce given in
the dining room of the new Anderson
hotel. Besides the local citizens there
were numbers from Redlands, River
side and surrounding towns. Among
the news items of Importance which
cropped out during the evening was one
from President Fleming of the Port
land Cement company who wrote an
open letter to the banqueters, in which
he announced that his company con-
templated the immediate enlargement
of the plant at Cotton, doubling its ca
pacity, which would also mean a large
increase in employees.
Plans for the new cemetery to be laid
out beyond the north city limits by
private persons We're exhibited on the
streets The cemetery, if it is ever
esta ablished, is to be known as Olive
cemetery and is uniformly plated. The
plans contemplate a well watered tract
and probably certain restrictions which
Will guarantee well-kept grounds as
long as the corporation is in exist ence.
Opposition even to this cemetery is
growing and a fight will be made
against it at the meeting of the board
OF supervisors next week.
Travelling Freight Agent Adams of
the Salt Lake, who is here securing
fruit-carrying contracts for his COM
pany, states that the reported traffic
agreement between the Salt Lake and
Santa Fe is not a reality so far as his
department has been informed; at
least the new arrangements have not
become effective, and the Santa Fe will
neither accept nor give freight from or
to the Salt Lake. The Salt Lake is
sending train load of oranges a week
east, landing them in Chicago in six
days.
Poundmaster Gibson paid a fine of
$40 for preventing Miss Tillie Wolff
from rescuing a dog which had been
caught in a net by one of Gibson's
deputies. 1t is claimed that the pound
master used more force than was nee
essary in restraining the young woman
and that her arms We're black and blue
where he gra apsed her.
The funeral of Matthew d. Cantwell
took place today The deceased was
one of the pioneers of this section, haV-
ing lived for forty years in this valley.
The funeral service was conducted by
Rev. Nj. b. Shaw of the First Baptist
church and attended / a body by the
Pioneer society, from which organiza-
tion the pail bearers were selected.