The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-11-21
The Forged Returns from st. Vincent,
Pembina County.


Pembina County.
During the Constitutional Convention, this
point-near the latitude Of 400 north, on the
east side of the Red River of the north, and
opposite Joe Role,te's settlement on the
west bank of that river at the point where
Pembina River empties into it,-came into
some note as the precinct in which eleuen ille-
gal voters chose siz Delegates to the Consti
tutiOnal Convention which six were duly
recognized as delegates by the Democratic
minority Convention, though only y6re ever
took their seats in the body.
Having once visited that far off locality,
we took some pains during the sitting of the
Convention to investigate the facts touching
this singular election.
One fact we were fully satisfied of, that
the eleven voters had only voted for four del
egatts and that the other tvo were put up
on the return after the election; and we al
ways felt in doubt, even, whether these .tonr
who were voted for, we're the same individu-
ais whose names figured in the certificates
our impression being, that besides the two
bogusdelegates added to the returns, some of
the original four appeared here by proxy !;
which operation might seem difficult to some,
but when they know that Cowan, the Regis
ter Of Deeds of Nicollet county was here in
St. Paul, with the county seal of Nicollet
county, Ito which Pembira was alledged to
DC attached for 'judicial purposes'') ready to
iix ap the certificates for whoever might ap-
per, the fanciel difficulty of the operation
vanshes at once
While anxiously searching after the truth,
CHARLES CAvILEER, Esq, who lives at the
city of ST. Joseph, at the "mountai.," 80
miles up the Pembina River, and 80 miles
westward from Joe Rolette's trading post at
its mouth, made his appearance here in St.
Paul.
Mr.. Cavileer was Librarian of the Terrific.
ry under Gov. Ramsey and subsequently,
WAS appointed by Presi lent Film ,re to the
delightful and profitable office of Collector of
Customs at Pembina ; in which post he has
since been succeeded by Phillip Beaupre, a
Frenchman, appointed by Mr.. Pearce and
lastly by James M'Fetridge, formerly of
1T. Paul, whom Mr.. Rice got appointed in
his stead
On lnquiring of Mr.. Cavileer for the par
ticulars of the election at ST. Vincent, We
found him disposed to back up the ugly thing
as all according to Gunter-his strong East
and West line proclivities doubles making
him shut his eyes to any skuIlduggery which
might place six votes in favor Of an East and
West line division of the State, INTO the Con-
stitutional Convention.
In answer to our inquiries, he contended
that there might he as many as 10 or Ii
houses on the east side of the river, in ST..
Vincent precinct"
Some further conversation having passed
Oh Indifferent matters, we returned to the
subject, indirectly by remarking that ''to the
best of our recollection, the nature of the
below the country on the west or Pembina
side-precluded the idea Of any town or set
Element ever growing up there and that we
supposed that it was a mere imaginary town,
created on paper for the sole purpose Of ter
minatlng the land grant Grow Wing and Red
River of the North Railroad thcreatr'
Mr.. G. at once assented to this view, and
in confirmation of it, exclaimed, ''Why yes
ST. Fincent gas ten feet under acater this Spring;
and the food was even up into Joe Rolette's
house, at Pembna opposite -
"Then," said we, Mr.. Cavileer, how do
those 10 or - settlers on that side, manage
to live there under such circumstances ?"
"Oh," said he, 'they live on both sides Of the
ricer"
To which we replied, eve had no doubt
about their living ON the west side at any
rate !''-and immediately. about that time, it
occurred to us, that the old story we had al
ways before regarded as fable, about the
freshman coming over in two ships, might new.
crtheless, be true!
Subsequent testimony showed, that OF the
eleren votes cast for delegates to the Corstitu
tional Convention. .fou of them might, by
hard straning. be held to be bona tide resi-
dents of St. Vincent; but Of the delegates re-
turned, only one, VAssEuR, the cot-nosed
man, hal any pretence to residence in Penn
bina, east that is, the portion of the County
that remained "within the limits of the pro
p scd State" of Minnesota. The other sever
who voted at St. Vincent came across the
river from 10. Rplctte's trading post at Fem
bina, in Dakotah Territory, where, exclusive
Of squaws, in the absence Of Joe, they form
ed pretty much the whole of the voting cen
sus, even Of that far famed locality
We'll, fellow citizens, we have now arriv
ed at point in the course of human events
when another election return from his sal,
vcstigation and great as the other fraud was
y which eleven men sent six delegates to til.
Constitutional Convention-by which clever
men, and only four of them legal voters, hao
larger representation in that Convention
than some of our most populous counties
with their thousands of in;,abitants-we thinl
the present election return, purportng to bt
from ST. VINCENT, is more bare faced, out
rageous, wholesale fraud and vllainy, thar
the one which preceded it!
Let any man go to the Sccretary's offic,
and examine this return. Look first at tn,
envelope in which it was received. 1t is o
the '.yaller kind' like the Arkansas bows
corn; and is fresh, clean, smooth, square il
the corners, unrumpled, and decidedly nice
1t has a fresh from-the mint annearance