At the exorbitant price named, buyers promptly appeared--dummy buyers, beyond shadow of doubt, acting either for the Railroad or for S.Behrman--men hitherto unknown in the county, men without property, without money, adventurers, heelers.

Prominent among them, and bidding for the railroad's holdings included on Annixter's ranch, was Delaney.
The farce of deeding the corporation's sections to these fictitious purchasers was solemnly gone through with at Ruggles's office, the Railroad guaranteeing them possession.

The League refused to allow the supposed buyers to come upon the land, and the Railroad, faithful to its pledge in the matter of guaranteeing its dummies possession, at once began suits in ejectment in the district court in Visalia, the county seat.
It was the preliminary skirmish, the reconnaisance in force, the combatants feeling each other's strength, willing to proceed with caution, postponing the actual death-grip for a while till each had strengthened its position and organised its forces.
During the time the cases were on trial at Visalia, S.Behrman was much in evidence in and about the courts.

The trial itself, after tedious preliminaries, was brief.

The ranchers lost.