The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-03-19
HARD AT WORK
Land Company, Citizens and Legisla
tive Committee This Week.

blVS OOuuIUG66 Ills w 06k.
The joint legislative committee APP
pointed to investigate the conditions at
Reelfoot Lake, and to hear, receive and
report to the Legislature propositions
from the West Tennessee Land Com
pany, after three days sojourn on the
lake, returned to this city Monday.
Judge Harris, president of the land
company, arrived here from Upton
vile, and called meeting of the COM
pany to formulate and submit prices
and conditions under which they are
willing to cede their rights and titles to
the State, for public game and fish
preserve.
The committee met at 10 o'clock and
proceeded at once with the hearing of
evidence.
j. L. Mosier, counsel for the citizens
committee, was the first witness called.
The committee, through their chair
man, Senator Puryear, stated that the
committee had at an executive meeting
decided that it was not their purpose to
go into this matter, in the form of a
long drawn out suit, but full and fair
investigation should be had. In reply
to these suggestions, Mr.. Mosier stated
what his side of the investigation want
ed was that the committee should hear
and examine the old grants, as they
claim that the Supreme Court has not
passed upon the title to Reelfoot Lake
Mr.. Waddell, for the land company,
stated that he was not in a position to
intimate just what the land company
would do, as they had had no meeting,
but expect to do SO; that their, conten-
ton, however, would be that their title
was absolute, and would present their
claims along that line, and submit a
proposition Of sale, and he was not of
the opinion that this committee would
want to give any investigation of the
private business of the company.
Mosier filed map that shows about
1000 to 10000 acres that lie in the
lake, and some 5000 to O,000 acres
Of land to have ,been granted by the
State of North Carolina to Walter H.
and to Galloway, by the State
Of Tennessee, of as much land being
sworn grants, and over all of Reelfoot
Lake and cover the Dougherty and
Caldwell lands in 1897: S. D. Cochran
and John E. Wells were granted by
State of Tennessee, 4,745 acres, some of
which lies in the lake. This grant COW
,rs the northwestern part of Reelfoot
lake.
All other grants from State of Ten
lessee to Cochran and Wells, much of
he land covered by the lake, and the
and abutting the lake, and other lands
lot covered by these grants had been
eded to various parties. The conten-
ion of Mr.. Mosier and his clients being
hat the title of the West Tennessee
.and Company is in conflict with other
rants prior to the grants under which
ne land company claim title, that the
Court in their respective de- 4
lslons have never touched these grants,
xcept small portion; that the land
only owns about five to seven
acres of land not covered by :;
le waters of the lake, and submitted to
he committee various deeds, DEGREES
nd grants, covering the entire lake.
1t was brought out in the evidence !
efore the Reelfoot Lake Investigating
that there are probably 100
'gular fishermen on the lake; that the
Itput was 4,500 pounds per day in the :
'ring at Samburg and 800 in the fall;
Walnut Log it was 1880 pounds per
'y, and the lessees receive a royalty of .
le-half per cent. per pound. The lake
'vers $4,000 acres of land at low water
ark. y
S. F. Howard, surveyor, testified b
at he had known of several men who c
aimed to own parts of the lake, not Ia
'ly ]. E. Wells and the Cochran heirs, c;
1t they never charged for fishing priv ia
ges. b
]. E. Boxley, another witness, said Il
at the fishermen eontended that the
ke is, or should be, public property, fc
d they wanted the privilege Of selling G