The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-01-21
FAKE LAND SALE

The Fraud Was Easily Detected by Co.
lumbia Photographers
HOW GAME WAS WORKED
The Prospectus Carried Faxed Pno-
tographs, the Pictures Being Made
to Show Handsome Buildings,
Where Only Pine Barrens, With
Standing Trees, Exist.
Neither being able to furnish the
SIS, 900 bail demanded Of each, J. c.
Masters and I. C. Sibley, arrested in
Jackson, Miss, for using the mails to
defraud, in connection with a con-
cern they were promoting, called the
Albemarle Development company.
|Albemarle, NJ c., have been remand
ed to jail, at Jackson, to await re-
noval to the Jurisdiction. of the
United States court for the western
district Of North Carolina-all OF
which, says the Columbia Record, is
Interesting to 8 number of Colum-
bians, several blocks to Albemarle
stock having been placed in this city
lby a plausible young man, giving his
name as B. D. Langdale.
The Record says it was in fact a
former Colum bian, now manager OF
news bureau in the Southwest, and
4 firm of Columbia photographers,
that first suspected the promoters OF
the All,emarle concern Of fraud. At
the request of the news bureau man
ager, newspaper men here consulted
the photographers and learned that
Langdale had sold to then11-or rath-
er had exchanged with, them for two
dozen photographs of himeelf, val
ued at s24-a participating certif-
cate" No. L-754, Ia the Albemarle
Development company.
q.Iangdale had failed IN bis effort
to part the photographers from any
cash, BECAUSE they detected evidences
of fraud In the handsome prospectus
that he displayed. In the prospectus
there were, besides the usual roseate
word pictures, several illustrations,
purporting to be: from actual photo
graphs, showing considerable prog
ress upon the development Of the AL
bemarle tract into pretty suburb,
with large hotel, stores, costly resi-
dences and the like. 1t required only
superficial examinations Of these, pic
lures by photographer tosshow that
they were, cunninglys- made compo-
sites Of photography and: drawing:
Actual photographs had been tall
en- OF the woods on the tract and tie
several clearings and then half cor1-
pleted buildings had been drawn an
at the proper places and the doctorad
picture itself. had been photographed
and from this second picture the cleo
trotype reproduction used In the
prospectus had been made. The
work had been skilfully done, but it
is next to impossible to give to these
synthetic productions such appear
ance Of genuinesness as to deceive a
photographer.
Langdale, confronted with this evil
dence OF fraud, said he knew the
pictures were misleading and had
strongly urged his superiors not to
resort to such methods. He insisted,
however, that the proposition under
promotion was legitimate and gave
Albemarle bank references. These
the photographers did not trouble to
verify, as they had but small in
vestment al stake and were willing
in these circumstances to take their
chances.
The stock certificate they hold is
signed by Masters, one Of the men
now under arrest, as secretary
treasurer. It is dated November 18
and the postmark shows 1t was
mailed November 81 from Albemarle.
The application for it was signed
here September 27. Langdale was
young man of good appearance and
made easily a favorable impression
upon his acquaintances here. He
claimed to have been educated at
Harvard and said his home was in
New Haven.
Masters and Sibley were arrested
in Jackson on warrants issued upon
the affidavit of Postoffice Inspector
J. W. Bulla of North Carolina, VINO
presented documentary evidence in
support of the governments conten-
ton that the development company
was being promoted by fraud. In
spector Bulla is quoted as saying
that on an investment OF $1,000 in
100 acres of land near Albemarle the
promoters have taken in about $780,
600. He said that Sibley had been
connected with a similar scheme at
Whiteboro, Texas, about five years
ago. They have recently operated
in both the Carolinas and in Ala
bama, as we'll as in Mississippi.
Winthrop Student Marries.