Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-26
Masbington Sentinel.
From the New York Herald.
Ole BULBS Colony.

Ole BULBS Colony.
Having observed in your paper, of the 10th
instant, letter headed " Ole Bulls Colony in
Pennsylvania" deem it my duty, as the coun-
sci of Mr.. Bull, (he being absent from the city,
to correct the impression which the public
would receive from that letter. almost every
paragraph of which is without foundation.
1t seems the ostensible author of this rich
production is one Yorg, medical man, who
emigrated from some place at the west of this
colony, and has been, since his arrival, living
rent free in house Of Mr.. Bulls, and other
wise most plentifully partaking Of his bounty.
Il While pretending to be warm friend Of Ole
Bull and the Norwegians, he has secretly
avowed thst he would have oil the Norwegians
routed, and settle the colony with Germans, to
which race he belongs. He endeayored to oh
tain the situation of overseer, in which he fail
ed. His whole career since his arrival at the
colony has been characterized with duphcity
and imbecility, never having accomplished any
thing, except to bring man with him to the
colony who has turned out to be of the same
stamp with himself
1t is so evident that this letter emanated from,
and was written to curry favor with certain par
ties who were connected with the late associa-
ton, that Justice demands that should give q
full history of Mr.. Bulls unfortunate connec-
with it.
In the summer Of 1852, John f. Cowan, Of
| Wilhamsport Joseph i. Bailey, of Philadel-
/ phia, and others, procured for themselves an in
PRODUCTION to Ole Bull, and through the agency
Of person who was then his attorney, per-
suaded him to abandon project which he had
nearly completed, of purchasing lands in Vir-
| ginia, and to enter into an association with
them to found colony on lands in Potter
| cnupfv of which fhav xvora fha oyynprs Fifteen
hundred dollars were exacted from Mr.. Bull to
pay the expenses of trip for the whole party
up to view the lands. A farmer, who lived in
the vicinity, was solicited by person connected
with the affair-but whose name for the present
/ / ewithhold-to represent to Mr.. Bull as he
passed through there, that the lands were worth
five dollars an acre, and increasing in value.
Mr.. Cowan, who headed the party, falsely
represented to Mr.. Bull, and also to Mr. Dudley,
a we'll known merchant Of this city, who has
escaped only with a loss Of $4,000, that GER
tain lands, and almost the only level or cleared
spot in the whole tract of 10000 acres, be-
/ longed to him and his associates and thus in
duced Mr.. Bull to consent to found the colony
there. A large sum of money was Immediately
expended by Mr.. Bull in procuring and forward
in Philadelphia, Mr.. Bull not being presently
at which Cowan was appointed sole superin-
tendent and manager, Bailey the treasurer, and
Mr.. Bull president.
Ten thousand dollars were obtained from
Mr.. Bull by Cowan, without giving him any
/ equivalent, not so much as a receipt. Bailey,
through Cowan and another, got from him
twenty-five thousand dollars more, for which it
is now alleged they were to give Mr.. Bull deeds
to certain portions of tho land but not the
i scratch of pen was given to Mr.. Bull to show
it.
Cowan, some ten months after he had re-
ceived the money, was reluctantly induced to
give deed for about ten thousand acres, out of
which he covertly excepted all the tract that had
induced Mr.. Bull to make the purchase. This
deception was not discovered until after was
retained rs his counsel, and went personally to
| the lands to examine the validity of the title,
&C., when ascertained that Bailey and Cowan
did not, and never had, owned foot of this
tract, all Of which belonged to Mr.. George
| Stewardson, of Philadelphia, Of whom they had
made several Intellectual attempts to purchase
| it. Under this deception Mr.. Bull had expend-
| ed, from his own private purse, twenty thousand
dollars in putting up buildings and satisfying
the demands Of settlers, who complained to
him that Cowan did not pay them for their
| work
Bailey held on to the $4,000, and still Mr..
Bull had never been able to get deed, or the
| slightest equivalent; and when he wrote to
have the money returned, or else deed, re-
ceived as his only satisfaction, the answer
"That he was q foreigner and could not hold
landsn Mr. Bailey, / know, has the reputation
of a shrewd artifcer in gold and the base me-
tails; but the fact that he did not discover that
Ole Bull, the Norwegian, was not a native born
Yankee till after he had got his money, does
not speak much for his historical learning.
| In July last / was employed as Mr.. Bulls
counsel, and, finding matters in this curious
| state, / advised him to abandon the whole con-
cern, and demand return Of his money.
After nearly three months time spent in col
lecting evidence in Potter county and elsewhere,
and in frequent meetings of the counsel for the
respective parties, compromise was effected,
| by which Mr.. Bull returned the deed to Cowan,
and received back his $4,000 in the shape OF
bond payable in six, twelve, eighteen and
nty-four months and he retired from the
association with loss, as he asserts, and can
show, of nearly $4,000.
BY that settlement, Ole Bull was to pay
certain schedule of the debts of the association,
every dollar Of which has been paid as fast as
| the parties could be communicated with. Bai-
ley, Cowan, &C., assumed to pay the balance of
the debts and have not done so and it is the
| non-payment of these debts alone that has
caused all the suffering at the colony, and sub.
jected Mr.. Bull to the abuse of some of his
colonists
The base attempt to throw the blame Of the
mismanagement of the colony upon Ole Bull,
is in keeping with the rest Of the scheme. Cow
an was the superintendent, and Bailey, at his
own urgent solicitation, was treasurer Of the as
| sociation that founded the colony; and on their
| heads alone will fall the odium, and to them
alone can be justly attributed any bad repute or
mismanagement of the colony.
Mr.. Bull being wholly unacquainted with the
value of the land, was induced by these parties
to take it at 81 and 81 so per acre, when it was
well known in Philadelphia that for years the
owners Of better lands in the immediate vicin-
ity have only valued them at from twenty-five
to seventy-fve cents.
This knight of the pill-box asserts in his let
ter that he knows that Mr.. Bull lost no money
/ IN his With tho colnnr. fhof ba 70.