Arizona republican., 1914-02-14
District Attorney Fred L. Ingraham Finds Records of Alleged Illegal Trans fer of 100000 Acres of Indian Reservation
FRENCHMAN IS
 INDIAN CHIEF
To Him is Deeded Land by Indians Who Never Had Title-Effort to Sell Re veals Startling Condition of Affairs
TAssoCIATED PRESS DISPATCH l

LOS ANGELES, Feb 13-The suggestion by Fred L. Ingraham, district attorney of Yuma county Arizona, that plan TOT a swindle involving two hundred thousand acres of the Colorado Indian re- servation is imminent, caused gov ernment officials here to forward to- day to Indian Commissioner Sells at Washington all the available data so that steps necessary to prevent the clouding of the government title might be taken. Ingraham sent by mail to Albert Schoonover, United States attorney for this district all the information in his possession. It involves a story of the metemor- phOsis of a native of France into an Indian chief and the donation by members of the tribe of two hundred thousand acres to the Frenchman's son, who also becomes a chief.
 No official valuation of the acre. age is given by the government au- thorities, but realty men familiar with that section declared that even in it's present unimproved. condition it Is believed to be worth from s2,- 00OO 900 to s4,000,00O
 They said that the greater part of the tract is tillable and easily irri- gable because of it's proximity to the Colorado river. They added, however, that several streams flow ing through the reservation would make the taking of water from the Colorado river unnecessary so far as the greater part of the land in ques- tion is concerned.
 Where the land is not tillable. it is said copper out-croppings have proved it's great value from min eral standpoint
 According to Ingraham. the first French chief of the tribe was Moses Abrement, who emigrated from France to America many years ago, and lived for a time in Louisiana. When Mime. Abrement died. how ever. Abrement moved to Arizona, joined the Indians on the Colorado reservation in Yuma county and in time was made chief.
 He died in 1902 and surviving tribesmen erected to his memory near Ehrenberg. a gigantic monu- ment of Arizona petrified wood in the rough, S9 feet high.
 His son. Moses Abrement, Jr., is his only heir He is said to nave been a favorite among the Indians and they not only made him chlef' but as early as 1888 set aside TOT him 10000 acres of land. A deed conveying the tract was signed ny IangdoW his son, Rodney OVerton, Three Feathers and Moses Abre- ment, ST, all chieftains, and by the sauaws Mauseka Leuta, Bright River and Mountain Top.
 The deeds are said to be on record in Yuma showing that Moses Aper- ment. Jr., who for a while made ms residence in Helena, Montana, con veved 100000 acres of land to Will liam Graves of Vincennes, Indiana. and that Graves in turn conveyed 100 OOO acres to Robert Connolly, formerly of Evansville, Indiana, but now of Los Angeles.
 It was through Connelly's alleged efforts to dispose of 100000 acres to which he claimed title. through c. | Hinman, a really operator Of Los Angeles, that the attention Of the Yuma and Los Angeles authori- ties was brought to the case. Hin- man, who desired to learn the eX- act legal status of the land, wrote of the land. wrote to the county re- corder of Yuma for certified copies of the deeds alleged to be on record there and also instructed an agent in Washington. D. C., to learn from the authorities who held the title to the land in question.
 Hinman stated today that he acted in good faith in the case and that