The New York herald., 1851-11-15
claimed up all of the wood land of this tract Of

beautiful country.
The timbered portions of the Pottawatamic pur-
chase are comprised Of strip Of land forming the
esstery shore Of the Missouri river, and Of another
strip stretching along and including .he bluffs. u
range of clay hills dividing the bottoms from
the rolling prairie, ard which lie back from the river
at various distances, ranging from five to 6iteeu
miles al few groves scstteIed along the streams
of water tributary to the Missouri river TIE re-
due of this ira Ct of country is bald prairie, which,
though of the highest value Tor farming purposes,
could be occupied and made subject to caltiva-
ton, without just partition OF the timoered lants,
which is stisted in quantity for the whole country,
and whch is row entirely monopoi'zed by the Nor
mons and the purchasers OF their "claiins," wnom
they have "taken in"
The lards on which settlements could be made,
without a special act OF Congress providing fora
distribution of the timbered land with the bald
prairie have all been "ciaimed up, aud are now
held in parcels measuring from oz0 TO zooo acres
by squatters, who demand more than the govern
ment price the land is likely to be fxei at Tor the
privilege Of making a settlement 1t is not for I'm
provements that the squatters demaad price, a
there are none made In the country but Tor the pri
viege Of settlement and their protection. If per.
son refuses to pay the demands OF q squatter, and
attempts to make settlement, though it be on
denounced as a " claim jumper" and lynched The
undersigned trayele the distance Of three hundred
miles in the Pottawatamie purchase, and found no
spot of earth eligible for heme, which person
would be permitted undisturbedly to make a setue-
ment without paying a larger sum of money than
the government would be likely to exact for the
OF the lanu tnere is not III Jne country one
settler to each Fifty quarter sections Of land, for
which the TIMBER with proper distribution, would
be suffcient to allow Of settlement.
The undersigned found many persons in the dis
trict of Iowa embraced in the ''Pott awaaniie puc-
chase" who have sold out their possessions in tue
Eastern States, and emigrated thither with a view
to better their condition; but when arrived, they
could make no settlements without paying prices
equal to the cost Of the full fee Of ands in other
sections, and prices entirely beyond their means to
meet. After having betrayed the expenses Of the
grafton Of their families and having sunk their
little means in efecting the same, they could not
return; and to live ard obtain bread, they have
been obliged to shelter themselves in novels, and
to become hrengs to the usurpers OF the soil; aud
vernment lands Of the Pottawatamie purch ase"
than in any section of the State of New York, or
Of Pennsylvania OF the like extent, excluding the
cities and large towns.
In timbered region of Fremont county, called
Pleasant Grove, which is bordered by extensive
prairies embracing beautiful tables and plateaus
! Of the most fertile soil, reside Milton Richards,
Harvey Bourne, John L. Beatty, and - Ell
| dredge. These persons caira Of the unsurveyed
| public lands, mostly timbeied as follows:-Rich-
ards, 1000 acres; Bourne, $40; Beatty, l,23o; ard
! Eldredge 500. There are other timber monopo-
| lists Of the same neighborhooi, who combine with
! those named to enforce their Claims
! One Jonathan d. Rodgers mas domiced himself
in beautiful grove OF timber on the public lands
Der from fifteen to twenty acres OF land which he
has enclosed He claims four or five quarter sec
tons of land and he told the undersigned that he
would take his rife and shoot to death any person
who should attempt to make q settemen upon the
| public lands within one mile and quarter Of the
cabin which he had there erected
Joseph Rails, who is settled upon the public
lands in Mills county, claims to the extent of three
or four quarter sections and maintains possession
Of the same by threats Of violence. He has been
pre-. emptor in the State of Missouri, and, there
FORE is not entitled to pre- emption of aoy Of
public lands which he claims. He has, also, with a
partner, caused to be erected on the public lands
near his present settlement, saw mill, and he Is
causing the timber OF the negh boring lands to be
despoiled for its supply; and at his mill he seus
sawed lumber at $40 per 900 superficial feet.
! In grove of timber on Five Barrell Creek, on
the public lands in Mills county, Lebbeus Coon, S-
las Hillman and Willard w. Noyes have plotted a
town, and they now making sale OF their build
ing lots to persons who, with others OF the vicinity,
are despoiling the country Of its timber On shis
Five Barrel Creek there have been erected, and are
now in operation, wo or three saw-mills, the pro.
prietors OF which cut up the timber taken from the
public lands and then sell II at their mills for SD
| per thousand superficial feet
Perry Liston and John Liston who reside on Sc
raIste tracts of the public land. lying Five Bar
iei Creek, ''claim three or four quarter sec ion3
land each and assert and maintain the possession
thereof There are also many Others IN the sams
| negb gbborhoOd residing on the public lands who
| claim like quantities among which NUN oer Is
| William Clarke, who has built for himself cabin
in a grove Cf timber, and cut away The trees from
| about five acres Of ground, which comprise his
| whole eIclosUre-and yet he claims al extent Of
three quarter sections Of land, and keeps Of intru-
ders iIom the whole by threats Of violence This
man Clarke stated to the undersigned that be had,
before coming TO reside upon the public lands in
Iowa, been pre-emptor Of quarter section Of tas
public lands IN the State Of Oaio.
Abraham Burger and Levi Thomas, who hayo
1 also made separate settlements on the public lsndI
/ in Mills county, "claim" large tracts; Burger to
the extent Of half section and Thomas to that Of
n full section of lard.
Orson Hyde who Is President and lIgh Priest OF
all ot 10 aft h. "a l.lL
and who has a settlement upon the public lands in
the "Pottawatamie purchase" Is reputed to be tho
proprietor Of twenty five or thirty seperate " land
claims, tie value of which he estimates at $4,000.
This Hyde is in fact "land claim" broker; and
in conversation with the undersigned in the mouth
of March last, at kainsyile, in reference 70 the
carried on by the Mormobs, he, Hyde, said "thst
the Mormons had regulated the land question FOR
Themselves, and that they would make the country
too bot for any individual or individuals who should
attempt 10 interfere with their arrangement made
in recreLce TO the unsurseyed public lands Of III,
"POtta1atam.e purchase; and that they, tbs
Mormons, did not care for the government az
Washington, which bad no power or ability to PEE
vent or change their operatiOrs."
Henry w. Miller, an elder OF the Mormon sect,
wko resides on tract Of land which be entered pre-
yous 10 the extir guishment OF the Indian title, hsv-
ing obtained possession from the Pouswatamie
Indians, claims full section, aud on a part Of
which he has plotted a town, and Is now endeayor-
irg to dispose Of building lots
AT Trading Point, a landing place for steamers
on the Missouri river, within the county Of POtta-
watsmie, Francis J. Wheeling and others assert
claims large tracts Of the public lands of whi;l
they make commerce and matter of speculation
David Herryfoid, residing the place upon
the public lands, claims tract TO the extent Of
Ialf section; although, as he informed tho under
sgrsd, he had been, before coming TO reside tho
public lands, in locs, a pre- EN- Ptor Of quarter
section of public lsnd in the state Of Missouri.
At place called Civil Bend, in the county Of
Fremont, Bsrjamin d Blanchard. Josiah B. Hall.
have made settlements upon the unsurveyed publ,
lands, Of which they claim 20 the extent Of half
ecton each. In their neyhborhooa Blanchard
and Hall have erected saw mill, TO supply which
with lumber they are despoiDg the country.
There have been erected in different sections of
the Pottswatainie purchase several other saw
,,fls aas;grafoa uhich now hatn0 usai