The Kansas herald of freedom., 1857-05-30
T,.,es Ia LAWRENCE.

Il = /
the Lawrence town site, has been before
the land officers for adjudication and set
tlement, for the last week and a-halt, at
Lecompton, to the exclusion Of all other
subjects. Few cases pending before those
officers, involve. grayer responsibilities
than that engrossing their attention at
last adyices.
At the time the first New England
oarty arrived here, ON the last days OF
July, 1854, the town site was in the pos
session of Mr.. Stearns and MI. Wade, |
two pro-slavery men from Missouri.
About the same time, Mr.. Lykins and |
Mr.. CHAPMAN had settled here. The |
party entered into arrangements with Mr..
stearns, to buy out his interest, giving
him five hundred dollars for the same,
and he removed away. Chapman, Ly-
kins. and Wade each maintained their
possessions. and entered into hot con-
test with the town claimants. Much bad
feeling was engendered between the par
ties, which was continued until the spring
of 1855, when compromise was effected,
and the several claimants, including Mr..
Baldwin among the number, assigned
their rights as pre-emptors to the town
company. in consideration of one-half of
all the town lots, they assuming the re-
sponsibility of perfecting the title, which
they undertook to do by buying an In
dian float, covering one section, and lay
ing the same upon the town. Mr.. Ly-
kins, of Kansas city, procured the float,
and agreed, in lengthy article to the
trustees, to make over deeds to them, in
trust for the several claimants, as soon as
the title was perfected.
Some little objection was raised to the
settlement of our town difficulties, but
generally it gave satisfaction. From the
time of that settlement, the town began
to prosper Prior to this, all was confu-
sion and uncertainty, and no one with
property would invest it here. Charles
Robinson, s. S. Snyder, $. n. Wood, John
Hutchinson, and John P. Wood, were
elected Trustees, and matters for time
seemed settled: Some difficulties sprang
up with Robinson and DR.. Wood, and the
former resigned. His place was filed by
Ed. Laid. Soon after s. n. Wood be-
came involved in controversy with the
Company, when he resigned, and his
place was filled by the appointment of
G. w. Hutchinson.
The year 1855 closed; everything per-
tanning to our town site seemed settled,
and general confidence in the title was re-
stored. Property was continually chang
ing hands at advanced prices, and no one
doubted that everything was just as it
should be. Nr. jenkins had set up
claim to the lands formerly occupied by
Nr. Chapman, but his pretensions were
looked upon as destitute of foundation.
He claimed to have advanced funds to
Chapman, to make the Improvements
which Chapman made; but whether he
did so or not, he continued his residence
in Missouri until after the possession of
Chapman had become merged in the
town; hence all felt confident his claim
would amount to nothing when the mat
ter came bsfore the land Office. The
consequence was, it did not even depre-
ciate the value of lots located there.
In the spring of 1856, if we recollect
rightly, Robinson found out, in advance
of the public surveys, where the section
lines would come, so he determined to
take advantage of the circumstance, and
cover that portion of the town extending
outside the section lines on one side, with
q float of his own. This he did, and
commenced selling lots, and giving away
Others to his fayorites, and entrenching
himself for maintaining his claim when
the matter should come before the proper
tribunal. He also set up farm claim,
having erected a dwelling on some public
grounds overlooking the city, and as no
other houses were built in that immediate
vicinity, he hoped to Dust those who
owned lots there.
Time has passed on. Property hiss
advanced in value, but the fraudulent
claim of Robinson has prevented the pro-
gress of that portion of the town over
which he set up his pretensions, and ey-
cry property holder has pecuniarily suf-
fered in consequence, as of the about two
hundred and twenty original shares, it is
probable there was not one who had not
more or less lets in the disputed terri
tory" As good fortune will have II, he
has sold lots upon that portion Of the
quarter-section which he proposed pre-
empting for farm claim. This will de-
stroy his claim in that direction. His
ignorance of law viii prevent his MAIN
tanning claim under the float; for, in
stead of laying it in a square form, it was
in the shape of letter L, surrounding
the southeast corner of the town. Be-
sides this, it can be proven that he at first
accepted the appointment of trustee I'M
d er the Town Association, and his acts in
such capacity, and his selling lots under
the original aoat, is incompatible with his
subsequent claim.
Other claims have since been set up,
but oil of them are Of trifing nature,
and win be disregarded at the Land Of
fee. The rights of the original claimants,
and those holding under them, will be
respected, snd our titles win be secured
beyond peradyentnre. Such being the