The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-02-19
RICHARD BLACKBURN wAsHrSGros

RICHARD BLACKBURN wASHINGToS
ty. are found the remaining tracts
1925 acres in Miami, SIS acres in
Union and s3o acres in Franklin town
ships. All of these arms are within
about twenty miles of Cincinnati.
Gut the Washington heirs do not,
seek 10 dispossess the innocent holders
OF these lands. They simply ask Con-
gress to reimburse them for their loss
as 1t has been done in similar cases
"hffe the government through Its
negligence. has allowed first one person
to enter public lands. and then anothe,
20 settle upon the same area.
For these tracts were government
lands when George Washington claim
ca them. Ever a shrewd speculator. he
purchased two land warrants. The
entries and surveys were recorded in
the books OF the district surveyor.
under General Washington's name. But
In the winter before his death the
general received notice tina his lands
were In LANCER on account OF the prac-
lice, then growing up. OF jumping" Or
OF relocating government land. He
tnen wrote to the district surveyor IN
who assured him that his title
70 the Little Miami lands was good and
undisturbed and promised TO notify
nm OF any attempt to attack it. So
the general made his will and died he
tcNihg these $3.50 acres TO be safe.
Victim Of Land Crater.
e'S years after his death, however.
me oeputy surveyor OF the same dis
trlct made three entries which cover
ed George W~ashington's lands comn,etc
~ and exactly. BY drawing he" deadly
PARALLEL on the usurper's SURVEYS The
neirR nave lately given Congress stron,
evioence that the latter took advantage
o. ms official position and obtained
from the archives of his Office the dead
generals field notes and copied them
almost word for word.
The generals Observation-Disclosures
washington and Lawrence Lewis his
nepheWs-got wind that ATTEMPTS were
neins nneae to jump the lands and a
a u'shed messenger was dispatched
70 me register OF the land office win
q letter asking for the papers nnn,c
co Win the title of the tract.
ms messenger was none other tbar
'o"n Marshall, the great Chief Justic.
OF me Supreme Court. And /, was irs,
aiter THIS that the executors netit iono,i
congress for the act con1r,ninp thoir
.itls, The act was passed bv tho az
CohSress. but was made general so IL
20 rei!eve all persons whose lands were
~ me same danger. Yet 1t was enact
= esPeciaily to give tstle 10 the Wash.
80. iaHos, And 1t was then that the
generals executors rested assurad +has
an end had forever been nut 70 ~ ~,
of,land jumping. ~
ihis man. who is alleged n h,,.
aun'ped the generals $3.50 acres. was
- ooseph Kerr. On learning thar ire
EXECUTORS We're making injuries bs
covered the Washington lands J s ~
..te now using a means which bae
become more fashionable In orr 49,
~ winch has heen the cause or ~
sleat land frauds of the past few vears
an ~ neir scandals involving Senator's
~ representative in Congress.
49, .niDloSed dummy entrymen" to
Jump the late Presidents tracts 80
these men were entered uno, - ~
CORDS under the names or Nayiiis
Massie. - NeVille and
became n United States Senator.
iNerr was a politician ana h.can,
su!hciently popular six years ,ater ~
oe e'ected TO fiji out the unexnired
,ernh OF THOMAS Worthington in the
ssini.eu states Senate. where he held
- seat from December 80, 1915. unit
a 49, o isio--a little over two
ing this brief time, it Is charged -
again Took advantage of his o6lcial
SO much loftier than
men ne was a deputy suryeyor-and
alter ransacking the land records ~
the capital prohted by tho negligence
OF the officials In charge and han the
washington tract transferred IL HE
own name. The General Land Once
,au not yet been established. and there
was general confusion of the govern
ment Ian records.
Then two other horns of the dilemra
appeared. Fire destroyed the court
houses In both Hamilton and CIcr-
mont counties, Ohio, where the tracts
are located. In Washington records
which would show the of
taxes on the properties were also de-
stroyed. and by the time the first third
OF the past century had rolled by both
OF W~ashinston's original executors had
aled. And TO the new ones appointed
In their stead the negligent govern.
ment officials at Washington, 1t is
said, failed to send tax bills for these
lands. Thus there was no reminder OF
the existence Of these tracts and they
We're forgotten.
Estate Never Settled.
Time went on and the generals es.
tate was never settled. From genera
ton to generation new admlnistra.
tors were appointed. One of these.
designated In 1859, was John Augustine
washington, a great-grandnephew OF
the first President. He required an
heir who had been paid from seven to
thousand dollars by mistake to
refund this amount Then. after this
administrators death, his son, Law
renee Washington, OF the Library Of
Congress, took an interest in the es-
tate. Three or four years 40 lie Went
over to- Fairfax Courthouse and ran