Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-05-24
This the the the girl graduate Beyond Alps lies Italy, etc.
TITLE CLEARED.

In the district court last Monday
tseveral Of the cases came up in
(which title was quieted in some OF
the Cheyenne Bottom cases. The fol-
lowing letter from Congressman Neel-
ey will also give some information on
the subject.
1T appears that, on the goth Of
June, 1903, the Department OF the In
terror approved, under the act OF
March 8, 1891, a map filed by the
Lake Koehn Navigation, Reservoir &
Irrigation Company in connection with
its application for am easement for a
reservoir site located in Twps. IS and
19 S., Ranges IL and 13 w., Dodge
City district, in which is known as
the Cheyenne Bottoms. That some
years afterwards, the above named
company apparently preached the
terms OF the statute which gave 1t
the right to act, and the land was de-
clared subject to homestead entry,
and settled by a number of people
who have since made it valuable by
their labors, and established homes
thereon. 1t appears that the United
States and Mexican Trust Company
took a mortgage On the Irrigation
Company's holdings for about $780,
900, and advanced about $1,000 on
this mortgage; that they forecl-sed
the mortgage and all the holdings
were bought in by the Century IT.
vestment Company, a company cwred
by the United States and Mexican
Trust Company, and recently the Cen.
tury Investment Company has reviv-
ed number OF the suits which were
brought to quiet the interest in tle
land and have been trying to fitch the
homesteaders en- the Cheyenne Bot
toms to the extent Of about S1.OO per
acre for Quit Claim deed for what
ever title they may have claimed to
have had under their old grant G,
easement. A number of the settlas
have paid this fee, but the company,
having failed to complete the reser-
voir within the statutory period, the
Department recommended to the At.
toney General that suit be instituted
to enforce a forfeiture of the ease
ment and, on February 10, 1912, the
Attorney General reported that the
company had expressed willingness
to relinQuish the easement to the
United States and, notwithstanding
this, the concern has still been try
ing to collect the old fee of $1OO per
acre for the Quit Claim, and when
final receipts and patents have been
granted for the land by the Land Of
flee at Dodge City, the Register and
Receiver have endorsed ON the final
receipt and on the patent the words,
subject to the rights OF the Lake
Koehn Navigation, Reservoir & Irri-
CATION Company" which naturally
causes the homesteader to be suspi-
cious OF his title and, no doubt, help
this Irrigation Company in its graft,
and by resaOn OF this cloud on them,
the settlers were unable to borrow
money after proving up.
On the 2nd day of May, Mr.. ]. G.
Brinkman Of your city, wrote me the
facts relative to this matter, and l
took It up with the General Land OF.
flee in am attempt to get it adjusted,
with the result that l am today ad-
vised that they are urging immediate
execution Of the relinQuishment by
the Irrigation Company, and have ad-
vised the Land Office at Dodge City
that they shall desist from making
the notation Subject to the rights
OF the Lake Koehn Navigation, Res
ervoir & Irrigation Company" ON the
final receipt and on the patent as
has heretofore been the custom.
This will save the settlers on this
land from being grated as hereto
fore"