Charlevoix county herald., 1918-11-22
100000 ACRE
LAND SALE FRAUD
c. w. ROBERTS CHARGED WITH
SELLING LARGE TRACTS IN
TEXAS UNDER A FIG.
TiTIoUs TITLE
OPERATIONS WERE WIDESPREAD
Wealthy Men From st. Louis to
Los Angeles Investigated
Worth, Then Bought.

Falfurrias, Tex.-One of the biggest
land frauds ever perpetrated in the
United States has been unearthed by
Federal officials, assisted by Texas
and California authorities. The fraud
is declared to lie in fictitious chain
of title, supported by fraudulent ab.
stract. The original fraudulent title,
it is declared, covered about 100000
acres of this region.
A part of the 3OO,OOO-acre ranch OF
EG Lasater, millionaire ranchman of
Falfurrias, was embraced in the tract
involved. When flood of deeds to
I.asater's land and other property be.
gan arriving at the County Clerks
office here for record Lasater and
others awoke to the fact that fraud
was being perpetrated.
1t is alleged that the arrest of c.
w. Roberts in San Francisco was the
elimination of the investigation
which has been in progress for some
time. Roberts formerly lived in Aus.
tin Tex. 1t is charged by the United
States authorities that he was at the
head of the conspiracy that brought a
big revenue to him and his associates
through sale of lands in this vicinity
to which they had no title. Applica-
ton for extradition Of Roberts for
trial in Texas upon charges pending
against him has been made, but it Is
reported that he probably will be held
in California to answer complaints of
fraudulent acts alleged to have been
committed there.
The land swindling operations
charged to Roberts and associates
were confined to no particular state.
The victims are said to number hun
dreds, principally in the West and
the Middle West. Many are said to
reside in California, Iowa, Kansas,
Nebraska, Illinoise, Indiana, Missouri
and as far north as Minnesota and
the Dakotas.
For two years a stream of deeds to
counties, to which the sellers are de-
clared to have had no title, have been
flowing into the County Clerks offices
for record. Considerations in some of
these recorded transfers were in the
hundreds of thousands Of dollars. 1t
is reported here that 'one of the
heaviest losers among the victims
was Frank l.. Dittmeir of st. Louis,
who is said to have paid large
amount in money and property for
big tract of land in this section, the
alleged title TO which was fraudulent
Some of the heaviest losers were
California men. The millionaire
colony of Los Angeles is said to have
Der of worthless sales have been
made to these men for sums ranging
from $4,000 to $4,000 each.
In great many cases purchases OF
the land were not made until the
prospective buyers had made personal
Investigation of the lands possible
value. No misrepresentation was
made on this score. The land was
worth as much or more than was
asked for it, the fraud charge being
in the title, supported by abstract
prepared by what was known as the
81. H. Grimes Abstract Co. of Hous-
ton and San Antonio" 1t is claimed
that this alleged abstract company
had no real existence. The particular
charge by the United States Govern
ment against Roberts, 1t is declared,
is the sending of fraudulent deeds
through the mail.
1t is reported that Roberts will sub
NIT a plea Of innocence for any al
legged part taken by him in the
swindle, on the ground that he OBJ
tanned his title to the lands from 0.
It. Nix of San Antonio, who is dead.
Several others arrests are expected.