The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-08-14

CHARGES
ROBBERY
State Land Clerk Herff
Finds That Corporations
With Large Capital Are
Robbing State Of Much of
It's School Fund Land.
NJ BUREAU,
At STATE CAPITAx,.

AT STATE CAFITAE.
Indianapolis. Ind. Aug. 14.-Jeromel
Hertz, land clerk in the office of the
auditor of state. has returned from a
trip through some of the northern In
diana counties where he investigated
the states title to -"meandered" lands
in the valley, and he says
that corporations with large capital are
attempting to rob the state of much OF
it's school fund land. He says that NUM-
erous sales of lands by corporations to
individuals of Indiana and Illinois have
taken place since the draining OF the
Kankakee marsh lands, and that many
other such sales are about to be closed.
Much of the land, Mr.. Herff says, does
not belong to the persons from whom
the corporations have been buying it.
The state owns all ''~meandered" lands
that have not been bought by private
owners, he says. Thousands of acres
formerly were beneath the waters OF
rivers. lakes and swamps and never
have been purchased by individuals or
corporations.
Efforts have been made quietly to col
iect evidence which will authenticate
the claims Of the state to those lands
and a number of suits Will be brought
as soon as the data are collected. Sales
of such and by the state probably will
mean the placing of hundreds of thous-
ands of dollars in the state treasury.
said Mr.. HERR.
Realty companies that have been en-
gagged in the business of buying and
selling "meandered- lands, Mr.. Herr
said. pay the alleged owners of the
deeds. "A the participant in the trans
,otgar hAc0o,ov hailAr~ ha said MAJ
ranty deeds take the place OF quit
claims, and purchasers from the realty
companies bought the land believing
their titles were absolutely secure.
Several new companies are forming
to engage in such business, according to
Mr.. Herf. The state will not bring ac-
ton to recover the land for some time,
because of the necessity of gatneir~
evidence relating to transactions by
which the properties have been trans
ferred.
Mr.. Herff told of the case OF one
northern Indiana land owner who was
accredited in the Office of the auditor
of state as having title to $40 acres OF
land adjoining a swamp. After the
swamp was drained claim was laid to
an entire section OF land in its midst, TO
which the state held title legally, ac-
cording to Mr.. Herff.
Another case cited was of a similar
nature. A citizen of one of the north
ern counties was accredited in the audi
tors Office as owning 1890 acres Of
lands. Later "meandering" streams in
lcreased the acreage of land above
water in his -neighborhood to a very
great extent. and the man Immediately
laid claim to $40 acres adjoining his
first property.
Record of a gigantic transaction In
this kind of real estate, involving NOR:
than 100000, was filed recently in one
of the northern Indiana counties. A
realty mpa sold property to- a chi
cago millionaire, and Mr.. Herff says the
land involved will be found to be state
property.
1t is expected that the investigation
which is now being carried on along
this line will cause a huge amount o.
litigation in a number of the northern
Indiana counties. and that scores o.
present ~landholders in these countie:
may yet have to give up their lands I:
the state. For a number of years, i
is said. land sharks, have been preyins
on the people of those counties ant
selling them lands to which they lait
: claim of title but which In realty belong
to the state. When these people ar,
forced to give up these lands or els,
; to buy them a second time from tn,
: state it is safe to predict that Their,
will be a great deal of trouble. Lake
> Porter. Laporte, st. Joseph. Sfarke
: Newton. Jasper and Pulaski are thu
counties said to be involved in thi,
q matter