Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1851-04-10
The Georgia Lands.

w q learn that the Kew r. "A. COnWe OIL bdutCi, nus
bought interest in the above landsthat ne has sold
oneh of his purchase for SIS 000 and third OF the
remainder for $50 ,OO0.-Centreville Wing.
u The Rev. F. A. Couwell, we believe, bought one
fifth of the interest of Martin II. Green, in the Georgia
Lands, and if his sale noticed above furnish criter
ion of the value Of them, the entire tracts IS worth
THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS a sorry commentary the foresight and
sapacity OF who pronounced them valueless. And
for this vast purchase the State of Indiana is TO receive
the pul consideration of thousand dollars, some-
time Observation-Disclosures Statesman.
u After commenting on the article in the Statesman
the Indiana Journal says
The Statesman" vainly attempts 10 relieve the Dem
ocratc party from The odium attached TO this grand
swindle. 1t is admitted that ''the high contracting
parties are Democrats and that Democratic Legisa-
lure confirmed the sale" What more do you want
Its confirm alton was voted for by every Democrat in the
Legislature with but few exceptions, and opposed by
every Wing except in the Senate, and four or 1--WE
in the House. How did this happen, II 1t were not
party question
The article which appeared in the Statesman, in
our opnon is calculated nslead the public to the
value of these lands This statement will be taken by
every whig editor and wing candidate for office the
evidence of an officer of State prove the loss Indiana
has sustained by this sale Admit that the lands were
worth half the amount stated above and think, no
circumstances could have justified the Legislature in
frmin this sale without further Investigation As this
to manufacture their capital for the coming contest,
we ask the indulgence of our readers whilst we give
brief history of this whole transaction. The public
can then Judge where has been the " grand swindIe-
Many years since the State of Georgia disposed of her
public lands by grand system of lottery The lands
were divided into tracts Of 2O2 acres The tickets
sold and the drawing took place. In addition to the
price of the tickets there the office fees of about
A "a If -b..ba
is,1ed by the State
Some of these lands ceded to the State Of
Georgia by the British Government, on condition that
the State would pay and discharge the Gaphin claim,
which me State afterwards sadded the General Gov
eminent After the drawing, about third of the
rtunate persons refused pay the office fees and the
lands reverted the State. Three hundred thousand
acres of this land lying in the counties of Teare, Lau
rens Pulaski, and Montgomery were afterwards pur-
chased by the Georgia Lumber Company. compa-
ny of persons residing in New England and New York
Elisha B. Strong, wing politician of the city of New
York President of this company. These lands lie
district known the wire grass country and the in
habtants when they come down to Savannah, with their
pale blue cotton coats with long peaked tails and cop
eras colored breeches known the wire grass
boys The land is covered with pine timber but is SO
niSeIaDll pour tudb IL pIOuucCS OuI codSe
wire grass and the prickly pear. The sand is loose
and deep that the roads impossible for teams,
cept for a few hours after heavy rain. The company
obtained charter from the Georgia Legislature and
erected mills and commenced the lumber business
They soon failed and the mills ceased operation. To
give them still further credit and the company
from immediate ruin they procured the fraudulent valu-
alton of these lands million four hundred thousand
Of Laurens county We have no evidence whether they
were wings democrats except the crcumsantial
dence that the last Presidential election this county
gave 567 wing and p democratic votes The resump-
ton is therefore very strong that these officers who
made this fraudulent valuation wings. Gov Noble
in bis report of 1912 Fund Commissioner the
fact Of the fraud Here commenced the grand swim
die" the language of wing neghbor.
This company with E. b. Strong its President
and Abraham NJ Schermerhorn. now whig member of
Congress from New York, its Secretary-organized
Bank at Rochester New York, called the Western
Bank Of New York. On heday the bank went into OPP
GRAFTON these gentlemen purchasedon credit of James
Harrington, Isaac Coe and Caleb B. Smith, the fund
commissioners of Tndana (aH rrhigs) three hundred
thousand dollars of State Bonds for which they paid
shortly after the sale sixty thousand dollars leaving
TWO hundred anu Iorty thousand dollars unpaid Gov
Noble speaking of this transaction says
AT that time the officers and parties in this Bank
engaged in the lumber business, in the the
" Georgia Lumber Company in Georgia, owning
large landed property the pine lands of that State of
over 10000 acres, on which they had built extern
sive DAM and mills with fourteen or these lands
some 3O6 900 acres were offered in security and the
officers exhibited certificates of valuation from persons
called county officers, representing the mills and other
improvements together with the lands TO he worth
3 81 l1fta llof
to be mbodied in the proposed mortgage subsequently
prepared and delivered. The Western Bank, New
York failed to make its payments and has been placed
under Injunction, leaving the State of Indiana look
to the mortgages of the Georgia Lumber Company"
Here the first point in this transaction at which
Indiana swinded. To the language of Mr. De-
frees the high contracting parties were, whigs-whig
county officers make false and fraudulent valuation of
these worthless lands. Unler the then wing admins
of the State OF New York, fraudulent shnplas-
ter Bank established ard the credit of this worth
less Bank the wing fund commissioners of Indiana, with
out authority of law sell and transfer on credit three
hundred thousand dollars Of Indiana bonds and take
security for the payment, these Galphn lands 1t
is however but just that commissioners be-
fore the sale of the bonds made inquiry as to the soven
cy of this bank and the character of the stock holders
who were really the Georgia Lumber Company. But
Whefe NOuiu 20 lot THIS III
formation DIR. Coe and Mr.. harrington both say they
made this enquiry of Governor Seward, then the whg
Governor of New York. and now the ''higher law"
whig Senator from that State From him DIR. Coe
says he received most satisfactory information" Mr.
Harrington says 'prcvious this being
ed into references were given as to the character of
hese parties to three persons of known character and
standings then in the city, two of whom have forgot
/ ~ r "