Imperial Valley press., 1909-02-13
CROOKED METHODS
 OF LAND JUMPERS
Woman Says She Is Victim of the Skinner-0xford
 Outfit
Paid For Location On Contested Tract and Then She Was SwindIed Out of Her Possessory Right, Is the Allegation of Plaintiff in Suit Against Oxford.

Clark Oxford, who has had more or less interesting career in connection with land cases in Imperial Valley, and who until recently was a side partner of Sigel Skinner in |. various contest cases, has been made defendant in a case filed in the Superior Court of Imperial County this week, wherein Lizzie l.. Smith is the plaintiff.
 The plaintiff alleges in substance that on the 7th day of April, 1908, and for many months preceding this date, she was an actual settler and resident upon and remained in peace able possession, under claim of right, on the northwest quarter of section 10, township 16 south, range 15 east, according to the Imperial sur vey; that on April z, 1908, the de- fendant, Clark Oxford, being aware that the plaintiff merely has a posses sory right in this land, was desirous of purchasing her possessory right, and that at Holtville on this date he induced the plaintiff to enter into a contract with him, whereby plaintiff conveyed to Oxford all of her posses sory right in the land in question. She alleges that the contract was duly signed, certified to and delivered into her keeping, and that by the terms of this contract Oxford was to pay the plaintiff for her possessory right the sum of 5000 in cash within six months from it's date or he was to deliver to her a secured mortgage note for said sum or price, the note to bear interest at ten per cent per annum.
 The contract also provided says the plaintiff, that if M. P Smith, father of the plaintiff, should lose his claim to certain land then this contract should become null and void and the plain tiff should be entitled to take posses sion of the east half of the tract of land above described.
 Lizzie l.. Smith ayers in her com plaint that Oxford took possession of her house and land and still retains possession thereof that Smith did not lose his claim to the land referred to, but on the contrary that he has long since sold and disposed of this land with the consent of both plain tiff and defendant that plaintiff has performed all conditions of the con tract on her part; that after six months from April ', 1908, she made de- mand for the payment of $1,000 or the delivery of mortgage and note, but that defenaant refused and he still re- fuses to deliver to the plaintiff either the money or the note and mortgage.
 Plaintiff prays for judgment against defendant for the sum of 5000 with interest at ic ner cent from April q, 1908, and for coscs of suit and such other relief as the court i".y Prant.
 The complaint gives only bar5De~ line of the story told by Miss Smith to her counsel T. M. McNamarl Esq, story which throws light upon the methods of the speculative contestants infesting Imperial Valley. The land is one of the tracts for which Sigel Skin ner has a contest pending in the land office
 It was represented to Miss Smith that Skinner, in case he should win, could not use his preference right of entry, and that she could take pos session of the land, which was unoc- cupied, and be in position to make the entry, She says she paid Oxford $250 for locating her on the land, and that she built a house and lived on the claim. She alleges that Oxford i'm ported some relations and wanted to put them in possession of the tract, and that he virtually ordered her to vacate and bullied her until she fin ally consented to give up the land for consideration of $1,00O.
 In brief, Miss Smiths story Is that she was inveigled into holding the land for Oxford and paying him for the privilege, and then was dispos- sessed under promise of payment for hey rights and never got cent.