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Gigantic Land Fraud in Dakota.Huron, Dak, Special Telegram, July 2d-—Special Agent James. of the. interior department has just ferreted out a* gigantic landfraud in the Huron district It covered 10ji 000 acree of land, a large amount of whichJassed into the hands of innocent purchasers.. R-Weeks is a land attorney of this citv. A year or more ago he contracted with L. F. Cummings of Chicago, to furnish him ‘soldiers1’- deelaratoiy statements for filing on government lands, each one covering 160 acres; for #16 each. Cummings is an ex-soldier, and being a member of the |G. A. B. had great influences with his. comrades. He represented to them that ho was agent of1 an English company who wiBhod to get hold of a Urge amount of Dakota land; that* if tho sol-: diera would.sign the declaratory, statements he made for them and also file a relinquishment blank, he would .pay these deelaratories on government lands and in the course of six months his company would pay them from 1200 to $500 each for so doing. Many soldiers signed the deelaratories. rehnqnishing their titlo to the same and waited for their dncata which never came.Weeks at once filed the papers in the Huron 'land office, of course keeping the relinquishment out of sight, and he appeared as attorney in every caae. As he found customers to buy these lands he filed out a relinquishment to such customers, accompnyingifc with Irisown affidavit beforo tho land office that hohad no personal interest whatever in the land; and that he appeared solely in behalf of and as the attorney fpr the soldier who,signed the re-' linqnishment Weeks was arrested for per- • jury, brought before United States Commij® sioner Taylor and held in #2,000 to appear Tueadav and answer the charge. Jones, Blood-good E. Sterling are his bondsmen.Weeks’ partner, Thomas, was also arrested, but leased, Doing considered'innocent‘ • * - .’i S'l i .
Newspaper Details
Medora Bad Lands Cow Boy
Medora, North Dakota, US
Thu, Aug 07, 1884
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Angela B.
SD, USA 03 Jan 2023
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Medora Bad Lands Cow Boy
