The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-10-12
Fight FOR RICH LAND
QyeR HALF MILLION ACRES IN
m. MoLvEp IN CONTEST.
Flaw In Patents Granted to Kentucky
Farmers by Old State Of
| Virginia Leave Their
! u Titles Clouded.

In --
Lexington, Ky.-A great legal battle
between wealthy and powerful corpo-
rations is now being waged in the
courts of Kentucky, over the "Old Vir-
'lginia Land Grants" and incidentally
Attorney General William j. Hen
bricks is evening up old scores with
his one time business partner and po-
litical opponent, John c. c. Mayon,
now known as the Land King" of the
eastern Kentucky mountains.
The legal fight has gone against
attorney General Hendricks so far,
and is now before the Kentucky court
of appeals, but he has called to his as
sistance John G. Carlisle, and has
taken new grip on the situation, and
4 as consequence thousands of poor
Kentuckians and few coal and tim
. ber harvesting corporations do not
know whether they are living in their
own OF some one else's homes. If Mr..
Hendricks and his associates win, peo-
pie claiming over half a million acres
of land in the counties of Pike, Floyd,
I Knott and Lether will not only be
homeless but will have lost their en-
tire life's work and the work of their
fathers for generations back.
Gen. Hendricks has tcken up the
land grantees. and with the aid of
skilled attorneys is contesting the
claims of the present holders of al
, most the entire property in the above
named counties. on the ground that
the present holders are merely squat
ters and have no legal titles to their
lands.
=. Mayo, in partnership with Walter S.
Harkins, j. w. NJ. Stewart. w. +. Hite,
Ben +. Johnson and other eastern
financiers and Kentucky politicians
and capitalists. has formed several
corporations, known as the Northern
Coal and Coke company, the Big Sandy
company. the Brushy Creek Timber
company, the Beaver Creek Coal and
Coke company and the Laclede Coal
company. which have taken leases on
thousands of acres Of this valuable
land.
Gen. Hendricks a few months ago
formed what is known as the Eastern
Kentucky Coal Lands corporation and
proceeded at once to have bill passed
by the legislature requiring that the
, Virginia grants be listed for taxation
h by January, 1907 Gen. Hendricks
/, then went to the county seats of the
four counties and filed his claims for
the lands.
When the first case came up for
hearing in Prestonburg. Floyd county,
last January. the people bitterly re-
sented the action of the attorneys rep
PRESENTING the Virginia grants. Feel
ing had run high for some time and
in Lether county the surveyors were
run out, one Of them being killed by
grants was refused in the respective
county courts and appeal to. the Cir
cult court was also refused there. Now
appeals have been taken to the Court
OF Appeals. Now come Mayo and his
side with suits filed in each OF the
L
Kentucky Coal Lands corporation for.
felt its title to the commonwealth of
Kentucky. The Virginia land grants
people have just filed their cross peti.
ton asking that plaintiffs be made to
prove their title to the property
claimed.
~ The trouble arises out of the grant
ing by the land office of the state of
Kentucky patents on lands already
given away by Virginia before Ken
lucky brame state.
The lirst constitution of the state
and eyc:y succeeding constitution has
Irecogn'zcd the Virginia grants, but the
land oFco has failed to take cognizance
Iof the land grants and the titles are
therefore disputed, with the best legal
claim n the power of the Eastern Ken
lucky Coal Lands corporation, but with
numerous claimants holding the prop.
erty.
| The lands are quite valuable for the
mineral and timber products and
should the Virginia grants people win
the legal contest thousands of people
would be left homeless and scores OF
wealthy eastern capitalists would for
felt their large investments. There
are feveral wealthy New Workers.
whose names the attorneys refuse to
disclose back OF the fight. they having
purchased the titles OF the land OF the
heirs OF the men to whom Virginia
made the concessions, which was
usually for acts of heroism or services
In TIE revolutionary war.