Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-11-23
MURDER PLOT
LOSESFORTUNE
Arkansas Man Cambled Oil
Land Against Pittance
In Killing

DR.. A. j. Bass, now serving a life
sentence in the Arkansas peniten-
tiary for the murder Of his alleged
co-conspirator, William Pearman,
alias william Foita unknowingly
gamble a fortune against a pittance
in his insurance murder plot which
startled the country a few
ago?
DIR. Bass plot centered about a
5000 acre tract of what is known as
the dark lands" of Miller county,
Arkansas. The land was hardly
worth the taxes at the time DR.. Bass
ana Pearman concocted the plot IN
1 which several persons were marked
|, .or death at time or another
and which eventually resulted In the
murder OF Pearman. But hardly be-
fore DR.. Bass had confessed n
murder and started serving his
prison sentence. oil was discovered
only a few miles from the Bass
tract.
Now. drilling activities have spread
TO within a few miles Of the Bass
land and may eventually prove that
an oil pool Of fabulous wealth lies
underneath the dark lands that
figured in the plot TO collect $780,
600 life insurance. However. such
a strike will be of no benefit TO DR..
Bass or his family. for under a
Miller county circuit court order,
the land is to be sold at public
auction here to satisfy mortgages
given in 1923.
Missing II Years
Mrs. Maude Pearman and heirs OF
the murdered man, who already
have obtained a $4,000 judgement
against the Bass estate. entered
claim 10 the Miller county land by
virtue OF warranty deeds executed
to William Folta' in connection
with the plot.
Mrs. Pearman and heirs were
made parties TO the foreclosure suit.
and their claims to the title were
uuashed by the judgement insofar
as the Bass land was concerned.
Their suit is still pending. however,
IN regard TO the Mary Bass tract.
which included 1000 acres adjoining
the tract figuring in Or. Bass plot.
Pearman. who was a Columbia,
Nc, garage mechanic, assertedly
''fell in with DR.. Bass. a dentist Of
the same town. and assumed the
suggestion. The real Folta was a
man whom DR.. Bass formerly knew
AT Martinsburg. Mo. He had been
missing from his home for II years.
The scheme was for "Folta" TO
purchase Bass lan6-aiready en-
numbered by Notwithstanding a
cash payment Of $4,000 and exc
cutting four promiSsory notes total
ing $4,000 for the balance. The
latter we're secured by $500 GO in
life insurance policies which "Folta"
obtained from a Kansas City COM
pany.
Plot Planned
Pearman. or "Foltar as he was
known in connection with the plot
came to TeXarkana, announced that
he was planning to divide the land
INTO small tracts for middlewestern
ccloniStS. He and Bass went
through much detail In this regard.
deciding tracts for school and church
purposes. and otherwise laying the
foundation for their project.
AT this time. 1t developed later
in Bass confession. the real vic
tim IN the murder plot was to be a
l9-year-old Miller county farm
youth. son Of one Of the tenants on
Bass land The plan was to buy
m automobile III 'Folta's'' name.
persuade the youth TO drive the car
to northern Arkansas. follow him.
kill him. burn the machine. and
produce the charred body as that
OF "Folta
The boy. however. became sus-
picious, II was later developed. and
eluded the pair. This was early
in March. and "Folta" spent most
Of the remaining days Of his life
seeking the youth. The conspir-
a'Crs allepedlv had changed their
plans. and were then intending to
XII the youth to prevent his talking.
while a mountain acquaintance was
: n sunnlv another body 10 deceive
the insurance
Whv II Failed
On March Is. "Folta'' rave I'D the
search for MCGEE and telephoned
DR.. Bass 10 come 70 Kansas City
TO- him and drive him back 70
Columbia. N was this trim that
resulted in "Folta'S" own death near
GravCtte. Ark.
Or. Pass had revised the murder
plot without taking his Cocoon
Spirator IN O. II. The insurance
collection was to be made nov on
'Folta' himself.
About one-uuarter OF Ireland's