Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-22
HOMESEEKERS
ARE 'FLEECED'
BY IOCATORS'
Famous Line Decides to
Fight Order Given
by Ballinger
NO. Al is CANCELLED
Ticket Said to Have Been
Held by Capt. Dixon
Is Destroyed
NO. Al is CANCELLED

TEy HAT certain real estate men in Los
Angeles who are not overscrupu-
Il lous planned and executed a coup
in which several seekers after farms
in the Yuma allotment, residents of Los
Angeles, were deftly, If not neatly, de-
frauded of amounts of money ranging
from $50 to $50. possibly more, is the
belief of many of the men and women
who have determined pluckily to keep
their line intact despite the ruling of
Secretary of the Interior Ballinger that
the line and the police card numbers
| will not be recognized.
The story of How we were stung'
is not discussed publicly by those who
assert they were among those who went
from Los Angeles to Yuma to inspect
the acreage which they hoped some
day to call home
No, indeed. They are afraid that
their chances for winning one of the
forty-acre parcels of land might be
| jeopardized were they to admit to the
public that they had paid alleged 'lo-
Gators" a stipulated amount of money
to assist them in winning home and
a ranch. However, alleged dupes talk
| of the affair to those who came to Los
Angeles to stand in line, and through
these the rumor took the form of gos-
/
firmed by one man who admitted he
had paid money to locator" believing
that the scheme as described to him
was legitimate, and not only admis-
| sible, but was a practical solution OF
the problem of a sure pathway to one
of the land allotments. He intimated
there were others in the line who
might, if they dared, relate similar
experiences.
Easy to Get Fees
The scheme held out = as, so the
story goes, to bait thf homeseeker
by telling the person, man or woman,
that the locator had inside informa-
ton concerning the Yuma allotment,
and that after the land had been in
spected arrangements would be made
to rent or lease rooms in the Chamber
of Commerce building, adjoining those
occupied by the United States land
office, the better to enable their clients
to form in line at the door the moment
signal was given. There being no
known ruling against such a plan, the
locator had little or no difficulty in
obtaining advance fees.
While the party of homeseekers in
question was at Yuma one of the "lo-
Gators or a representative rushed into
a saloon where number of Los An
geles citizens were discussing the land
they had that day investigated. He
thrust a slip of white paper into the
hands of one of the homeseekers, say
ing, Here's a message just received
from the boss" The message, type
written. was intended to be construed
as a bona fide telegram. However,
| 1T contained no date mark, place of
sending or receiving and no signature.
What it contained in the reading
was, in substance, this:
III
rooms in the Chamber of Commerce
building. Line is forming in street,
| where priority will count"
Needless to say, the Los Angeles
| crowd of home seekers interested in
this particular "locators" scheme took
the first train steaming toward this
city. They arrived here in time to
find places awaiting them in the line
we'll along in the first forty or fifty
persons who had remained in Los An
geles.
Had Heard of Plan
Those who discussed this yesterday
did not hesitate to express the opin-
| ion that the locator" knew he could
not successfully fulfill his promise to
his clients to safeguard their interests
| by placing them in rooms near the
| land office where they could be among
the first in line. Others declared the
belief that it was this that caused
| secretary OF Ine EdIlluBer 10
| order a different way of disposing of
the Yuma allotment. Register Buren,
of the Los Angeles branch of the land
| department admitted he had heard OF
a plan to rent rooms adjoining his Of
flee by homeseekers or spectators,
but he said he did not know their iden-
tity.
~ had heard of the scheme" said
the register, 'but such a thing would
not be permitted. as it would work q
hardship on those who would be
crowded out, and when l learned that
the agent of the building would not
rent rooms for these purposes I was
relieved
The scene yesterday at 31S West Sec
| Ond street, where the 159 men and
women who formed q waiting line on
South Broadway February IL have de-
termined to remain until March 10, If
necessary, to preserve what they be-
lieve to be their rights as first come,
| first served" resembled an army
camp of 'rookies" more than anything
else Every earmark of camp life ex-
cept the tent and the camp fire was
there. Men paced restlessly, hating
now and then to watch a number of
men playing cards on an upturned
| cracker box The women-there are a
dozen or more in line-taking chances
with their stronger competitors, lolled
back in comfortable porch chairs. read
novels, periodicals or the newspapers,
or else sat in a group and described the
kind of home they planned to build
on their 'forty."
Here and there a gray beard was OBJ
served in the motley but patient
crowd. Chewing on a toothpick, tug
ging at pipe or pufnng cigar the
older men appeared philosophers. 1t
was among these-men of calm mind.
hut determined mien-that the discus
I sion first arose to carry their fight for
the forty-acre parcels to the United
States courts, If need be, to protect
| their rights.
Don drill, well known in Los An
geles real estate circles who has an
| office with his son, AIDE Drill, in the
Merchants Trust building. is the chair
man of the 1.-THE first-come members OF
the prospective Yuma project colony
| was one Of these Orrill is a fighter.