The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1910-07-16
ADVERSE DECISION
MEANS BLOoDSHED
Squatters do Not Propose to Leave
Their Homes on "Maybrick" Lands,
Even at Behest of Supreme Court.

Even at Behest of Supreme Court.
The following article will be Of in
terest to many of the readers Of this
paper, who will remember that Attor-
ney Lee j. Graves, of this city. was
counsel in the same:
There is pending before the U. S.
Supreme Court n case Of widespread
interest, because Of the interests and
amount of litigation involved. Ii in
wolves claim by the Eastern Kentucky
Coal Lands Corporation, owned and con-
troled by New York capitalists, that
they were the rightful owners, by pur-
chase of old Virginia land grants, to
portions Of four counties in Eastern
Kentucky comprising 325, 900 acres of
fine coal and timber land, valued at
$l25, 900, 900, and which was finally de-
cided two years ago in favor of the
"squatters. who were in possession of
the land, by two Kentucky judges.
Mrs. Florence Maybrick, the Amer
lean woman who was confined in an
English prison for fifteen years for the
the alleged murder Of her husband,
was one Of the principal claimants to
the land several years ago, before the
murder Of her husband
The story of the old Virginia land
grants reads like romance. The
grants were originally given April II,
1857, and February l6, 1897. The
tracts were given TO people who then
resided upon them. Each tract is sep
arately described as lying in the then
county of Bourbon (ater State of Ken
tucky), now in the counties of Pike.
Letcher, Harlan and Martin, on the
waters of the Big Sandy River. "
Several years ago the Eastern Ken
lucky Coal Lands Corporation was
formed in New York to buy up the
claims Of the people who said that they
owned the lands under the old Virginia
grants, instead Of the people who lived
on the lands.
The most important deed is that filed
on August 7, 1889, by Caroline E. Won
Roques and her husband, Baron Roques,
and Mrs. Florence Maybrick to H. E.
Groom, of Lexington. Ky. These lands
had been decided on July 10, 1888, by
Samuel Allison, of Philadelphia, to
Darius B. Holbrook in 1880 by James
Swan, Of Massachusetts. The deeds
to Holbrook embraced 1852, 900 acres
of land lying in Virginia, West Vir-
ginia and Kentucky.
Darius Holbrook was at that time a
resident of Illinois, but later removed
to New York. where he died many years
ago. His wife was Miss Elizabeth Thlrs-
ton, of Alabama. They had one child, a
daughter, Caroline, who married Will
liam Chandler. As result of this union
daughter, Florence, mrs. Maybrick)
was born. Chandler died. and the widow,
when crossing the Atlantic Ocean some
time later. met Baron Adol ph Won
Roques, formerly an officer in the Ger
man Imperial Army, whom she married.
They resided in France, but when the
deed was executed to Groom they were
living apart, the baron being in Vienna,
and the baroness in Liverpool, with her
daughter, Florence, who had IN the
meantime married the wealthy English
man, Maybrick. Ii was not long after
this that Maybrick died, and shortly
afterwards his widow was tried on the
charge of poisoning her husband.
After Mrs. Maybrick's release from
the English prison she returned to
America, and suits are now pending in
the courts of Virginia instituted by her
to set aside the conveyances of the land
mentioned to Groom.
Groom in the meantime has conveyed
a part of the land to David W. Arm
strong and Lewis Roberts, both of New
York, and these are also asked to be
set aside by Mrs. Maybrick in her suits
in the Virginia Federal courts.
A conveyance to Robert Morris, of
Philadelphia, Of 5O0,00O acres is also
recorded. Morris spent large sum of
money in aiding the Colonsts to fight
the British in the Revolutionary War,
and Virginia granted him half-million
acres in 1895 to partially recompense
him for the money he had spent as a
patriot.
The Virginia patentees never settled
upon their lands. Many died, and
their claims were forgotten. When
the Eastern Kentucky Coal Lands Cor
poration brought suit for the posses
sion of the lands granted so many years
ago by Virginia they sent to Kentucky
two former sons of Kentucky John G.
Carlisle, former Secretary of the
Treasury under President Cleveland,
and Gen. John Hendrick, formerly
Attorney-General for the State. These
men went into the mountains and
worked hard for their employers.
Mountaineers, who lived on the lands
TO which the fasteners sought to es-
tablish a right, threatened them both
with death, but they went ahead with
the work.
Two years ago the cases were called
for trial at Prestonsburg, Floyd county,
and at Pikeville, Pike county. At
Prestonburg armed mountaineers filled
the courtroom. John G.. Carlisle smiled
and waited. Jack" Hendrick made an
address.
1--WE will kill you if you decide
against us, was the message that the
trial Judge got as he went upon the
bench. The Judge decided in favor of
the mountaineers who had long occupied
the lands. The mountaineers cheered
him. The next hearing was held at
PikeviIle. Armed mountaineers marched
up and down the streets with banners
inscribed, "Down with the land grab
bers.
When the hearing was called that judge
too decided against the New York cor
poration. Then they carried the case
to the Supreme Court.
Leading men from that section say
that if the Supreme Court decides
against the people now occupying the
lands it will mean bloodshed when at
tempts are made to force them to give
up the property. which had been occu-
pied by their ancestors for hundred
years. There are several thousand of
these "squatters" in the three States,
and they threaten vengeance If they
lose in the highest court.