Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-05-14
BOGUS BONDS SOLD FOR Cash
Four Nervy Kansas Crooks Pull OF q
smooth Game on Sc. Louis
Financiers.

one dark night in the summer Of 1878
four men quietly rode south from Hutchin-
SON. Kan. using every effort to avoid being
seen. Three Of them had arrived the day
previously from the east. stopped at the
Reno house, where they registered as Boyd,
Virgins and Horner. and that night had "a
long consultation with one or two others.
So much and no more was known The
hsngers-on around the old hotel. who made
It their business to size up every stranger.
know only that Boyd carried a peculiar
parcel which he guarded with great care
1t was nearly a fortnight later that Boyd
and Virgins rode back into Hutchinson
bearing with them petition signed by
forty settlers Of Harper county, which they
were delegated, they explained, TO take to
Topeka and present to the governor, ask
ing that such a county be organized 1t
was several years before the whole bare
truth became known that one Of the great
est frauds in the history OF Kansas had
been perpetrated, by which Boyd, Wiggins
and Horner buncoed financial concerns,
trust companies and banks in ST. Louis and
elsewhere out of probably $4,000 in ALL
Virgins was the merchant at Baxter
Springs Cherokee county. Boyd and Hor-
ner, who had been engaged In the cattle
brokerage business, conceived the idea.
with Virgins, Of coming into this new
country southwest of Hutchinson, estab-
fishing bogus counties, vote bogus bonds
and sell them in the east. Virgins sold
his store and the three conspirators came
to Hutchinson and were Joined there by
George Lutz, an old buffalo hunter and
trapper, who acted as guide The party
was led by the guide to a cabin on Bluff
creek, not far from where Anthony now
stands. Here the four of them deliberately
and without further procedure organized
what is now Harper county.
The parcel which Boyd had so carefully
guarded was opened and proved to be a
copy of the city directory of Cincinnati, O.
From this directory GAL names were selected
at random, and copied on a roll as the
names of the bona fide settlers Of the
county. A bogus petition was then pre-
pared, addressed to the governor. asking
that this county be established. signed by
forty fictitious names from the directory
and declaring that the said county had
over 600 bona fide inhabitants
"A provisional county organization was AZ
| once formed, and an election was held. AS
| the three Baxter Springs men and their
guide were the only human beings who
were actually within the proposed new
county the remains Of the thousands of
| buffalo whose bones strew the plains were
drafted. Buffalo skins were laid in row.
named and votes were cast for them for
county officers. Thus the first elected off
GERS of Harper county were dead ones to
| a certainty.
The petition to the governor not only
asked that county be organized but de-
clared that the city Of Bluff City was CEN
trally located well established as a mu-
nicipality and asked that 1t be declared
the county seat. All there was of Bluff City
was the rude cabin and the aforementioned
row of buffalo bones. The only bluff about
1t was the huge one being run Dy the gen
tlemen from Baxter Springs
John Davis was appointed by the gov
ernor to take the enumeration to see that
there were actually as many settlers as
declared In the petition. Davis evidently
also got hold OF the Cincinnati city direc-
tory. He certified, at least. that there were
GAL actual residents.
Metsrs Boyd. Virgins and Horner then
got busy on the real purpose of the whole
plot Gathered together in the cabin on
Bluff creek they proceeded to vote county
bonds to the amount OF $4,000, $4,000 to
build court house and $4,000 for funding
purposes. They also proceeded to establish