The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-15
30 GUS TRADING
IN VIRGINIA LAND
Buchanan County People Must
Suffer From Practice Two
Moro Years.
DEVELOPMENT IS PREVENTED
Spectators Deal in Property
Under Old Grants Which
We're Never Made

Unless somebody can devise a plan
to make the owners Of bogus land
titles in Buchanan county pay their
! taxes or else have their claims for
ie.'ed 10 the commonwealth. the de-
p!orabie conditions there must con
sinue FOR two years longer. ana the
development OF that Immensely rich
sact!on OF the State will be corr
spondingG- delayed The action OF inc
House Committee for Courts Of Just,ce
In passing by indefinitely all tho bI,,s
relating 30 the subject has exhaustet,
me P'ehS OF the bnehanan delegation.
"alcn VII! now proceed to 20 home
Ever since the sess!on of tho T.aris-
lature began, w. l. Dennis and ! W
flanagan, Jr.. have been in Rich
'nond end eavor!ng 70 see If soncthinp
definite could not be ACCOMPLISHED for
inc relief OF the people Of their county
They have appeared before conmi,.
tees t'Ino and again. nave sought adj
wee wherever II could be Obtained
ard proha bly, the shortness o. me s.s
sion, villa the time limit on tho Tn.
reduction Of the bills. have prevaniad
luton. % 90
The Buchanan st,ustion is one Of an
lol interest and presents prob
or later have to deal There Is 81,
some talk OF bill providing for
committee OF lawyers to examine and
report 20 the next General Assembly,.
MUCH In Litigation.
NV 'aan century ago grants yera
s''en b. the State 70 certain nartsns
Iaxes were paid for .onc vans 80
then default was made ana e ,f, ana
was either sold to the r,orno,,..aI..
or should have heen Good tt,Ias 80.
ncen established to a portion =, :,
iahds in the coonty. while great -
80. nag oeen and is still being con
.es'en. Henry c. King is now cla,,n
ms uhder paper claim OF title fror,
an ancient grant. but hae 20 "a ~.
In the courts as arsIn.+ - Ia. lost
C'ozens OF tho county. who r5avs
neen pa*ing their taxes NJ -
anu MS confreres desire MOI IA 49,
But far greater comnlicatton -
these claims from parties who -
produce real old grants, is the dea,tnn
t1,, ,annS on absolutely bogus titles,
! millions OF acres have beon sold 49,,
der a claim Of grant - Co.
N%the. naming even the osro ~
oook where the grant was supposed ~
DC on record. Yet no such natter, 80
ever issued. Bogus Deus are pu. ~
record, and then the bcnefciariee re-.
sen to unsuspecting victims, being
Noio W snow that the land was con-
NeEeo TO them the deed being on
record 1t seems that a clerk cannnt
retuse 70 record deed properly 40
knowledged
every lawyer In the Southwest has
mad applications for information about
these lands. showing the act.vitIea or
the fraudulent dealers. One attorney
~ Is SAID. Keeps a typewritten form
OF reply which he sends to applicants
=
OF men. who have bought lands under
bogus titles. and have gone 10
Buchanan to claim their property. IN
IND they had no rights. Two English
men VINO were Gulled caught their
man and landed him In Sing Sing.
More Land Into Stnte.
But the trading goes on. The pur
chasers and dealers IN this property
Will exhibit maps of the property. cut
into eections. They have patents on
land formerly In Kentucky. but being
forced out OF that State by the laws
they have moved the lands which thew
do not own into Virginia, ana trading
goes merrily on. Deeds OF trust are
given. to secure money borrowed on
property which Is myth.
The worst OF It is. that railroads
Will not try to develop the immense
mineral wealth OF Buchanan. and real
investors Will not buy. while the titles
are clouded with uncertainty. The
natives. who have paid for their land
and paid taxes on 1t and lived there
for years, arc unsettled and de-
spondent. Everything is kept under
closd.
1t was this situation which Mr.. Dem
mis- and .lr. Flanagan have en-
deavored to correct. They proposed
the Kentucky law, out the committee
felt that Il was unconstitutional, as 1t
applied only 10 tracts of more than
5000 acres. as proposed mere In West
Virginia the 1000 acre feature is in tho
Constitution. Some attorneys appear
cd. who desire the matter cleared up.
but felt they could not tell in so short
a time what the effect would DO on
their genuine holdings. which they
have secured by purchase from both
senior and Junior patentees. Other
bills. The truth Is that tho time OF
the Legislature is too much taken up.
and everybody IS so crowded with
work. that the matter could not be
traced down and worked out.
But there seems to be no way TO
prevent the continuance of assessing
this bogus property for taxation, under
tbe law What the people want IS q
statute to make these spectators pay
the taxes. or IN default. (Which would
always be the case. since they would
not continually sink money in taxes
on a contested piece OF property, to-
have the lands forfeited TO the Com
monwealth, which would forever debar
the extraneous ella inns.