Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 262, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1915 — CONFIDENCE CHARGE LOOKS LIKE A JOKE [ARTICLE]

CONFIDENCE CHARGE LOOKS LIKE A JOKE

Attorney Dunlap Tells of Connection He Had With Sale of Land to Miss Geuaert. 1 Attorney John A. Dunlap was greatly surprised when he learned Tuesday that himself and former partner in the real estate business, V. J. Crisler, had been*indicted in Cook county on a charge of working a confidence game and that a requisition for them had been signed by Governor Dunne, of Illinois, and sent to Governor Ralston, of Indiana. Mr. Dunlap and Mr. Crisler in the spring of 1914 caused the Springer ranch in Walker township to be divided into 10-acre tracts preliminary to selling the land for onion growing and othfer trucking purposes. They arranged with the Southern Land Co., of which Henry Harms and a man named Lawrence were the officials, to assist them in the sale of the land on the contract basis, that is, a partial payment and the balance on time, the deed to be conveyed when the land was paid for and the deed to be held in trust until payment was satisfied. Most of the land in the Oliver section around Newland was sold the same way. Miss Gensert was one of the first to become interested in the purchase of land and was ehe very first to buy one of the 10-acre tracts for which she was to pay $2,000 or S2OO per acre, the prevailing price for the muck land. Miss Gersert paid down SSOO and this money went to the owners of the Springer ranch and the deed was put into the hands of the Southern Land Co. Some time after the dea Iwa smade Miss Gensert made a deal with Ed Oliver, trading her equity in the land as a payment on a tract near Newland. The deed subject to the contract notes was transferred to Oliver, who was according to word Mr. Dunlap has received, to procure the notes and return them to Miss Gensert. This, however, was not a matter affecting either Mr. Dunlap or Mr. Crisler and when the first of the three notes for SSOO each came due Mr. Dunlap placed it for collection in Chicago. While the transaction so far as Messrs. Dunlap and Crisler are concerned was entirely above criticism and strictly in keeping with the methods in which all' similar sales are made, it is evident that Miss Gensert has a right to expect that the notes she gave be returned to her or that She be released by Oliver and continue the fulfillment of her contract purchase at the Springer ranch. Although Mr. Dunlap is innocent of either participation in any swindling land selling transaction he does not like the prospect of having to defend himself in a Chicago court with a young woman as the state’s witness and an effort will doubtless be made to fight requisition. The papers for his arrest and for the arrest of Mr. Crisler are in the hands of Sheriff McColly and Mr. Dunlap will be right here in Rensselaer whenever wanted. Mr. Crisler is still in Montana.