The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-06-26
Senator Brjght's Land Opera
lions AT Superior CITY.

iItHtIlutUNr NiSCO'tlrL w " Z
documents relating 10 the claims of rival
PARTIES 20 land entries 81 the head %
Like Superior. embracing the site OF
Superior City. On casting his rye over
N I'm he found an nrgumen, filed 90 be
half OF one OF the parties. endorsed by
Senator Bright nf Indiana. This whet-
ted his desire 10 lock further onj he !
fund to be p per rom the pen of
Minnesota Judge, and was. wiIhnu, rx.
ceptior. the riches. document he ever
saw intended for judicial or admins
traiive tribunal. The substance Of il |
WAS that the opinion 81 the Attorney
General Cushing in thu case was absurd
the adoption Of his views by the Interior
Department prepos'erous. and the action
Of the local Land Office at Superior. in
defining the STATUS Of certain half breed
Indians on the most abundant testimony,
corrupt. II wss clear enough that such
a document required at least Senate
rial Endorsement 10 justify It's reception.
Nobody can suppose for moment that
Senator Bright has any interest in the
result Of the case, or that he expected 10
Influence the judgement Of his friend,
Hendricks, Commissioner of the Gen
eral Land Ofce), by appearing in it.
That would be too strong an inference to
draw from 80 meek fact; and yet the
malicious might sugses. it as an sPpre-
hdnsion.
At the Southwest extremity Of Lake
Superior there is deep bay, and every
one looking at the map is struck at a
glance, with the conviction that that bay.
being the EXTREMIST Western point Of
lake navigation must one day be the
cite Of q large emporium Of commerce.
Being aware Of its great advantages
for this purpose, St. Paul SPECTATOR by
the name of Thompson. aud Canadian
operator by the name of S,inson, under
took to possess themselves Of il as long
ago as the early part Of General Pierce's
administration, by vicarious prescriptions
In this plan they were assisted by some
official gentlemen. who shared in the
spoils, and patents were ground out in
double quick time, or certificates issued
TO Swedes and Indians for the benefit OF
This Stinson and Thompson, aud their
associate spectators.
In the Summer Of 1854, this Mr. Stin-
son headed a gang of Swedes aud led
them from Swede Lake, ia the territory
OF Minnesota, 10 Lake Superior, guiding
them -i..- re,son to rtr rruUts tie WISHED
rhem 20 pre- empt. These men were IS.
.Eorsnt Of our language and of our laws
and were used by SI;nson to settle
their tracts, "proye up" their claim:
and convey" 10 him, the said S'inson
wi,hou; knowing either the fraud the.
were practicing. or the rights they nigh
have secured themse yes if they ha
been acting in good faith. In the Ian
Office Of Hudson, where these fraud
were perpeirated, there was notar
public, who drew the deeds tn S,insor
got the signatures of the Swcdcs {
them, and took tho acknowledgement
immediately after the presumption oat
had been odminislered-the Swcdt
thinking the whole operation part {
the pre- emption process. The term
were said to be $50 month. and BE-
nus Of SIS on the consummation OF Ill
bargain. The names of all these sin
pie tools in the fraud, sie given in til
papers.
Rot finding Swedes enough for the
purposes, they employed half-bred Ii
dams. Iu March, 1854, Thompson 70
lowed up the Government Surveys wi
gang of Chippewa half'bred Indian
Tho whole gang made Prescriptions
Douglas County, under the guidance
Thompson aud Stinson, who hired The
at La Fointe, and covered large porte
Of a township with their frauduian, pr
emp,ions. which were proved up STINT
taneously. and simultaneously convey
to the attorney Of Thompson and Sti
son. The names Of all this gang appe
on the tract book in the Genera. La
Office.
Unfortunately FOR the scheme, three
four OF the half breeds who had be
employed by Stinson and Thompso
met with another set of speculstors. a
sold out their entries TO the new come
10 the deiriment Of their first employ e.
This piece of treachery on the part
the half breeds is the origin o: the S
perior City controversy. Stinson a.
Thompson, with their secret asspciat
are trying TO Dust their rival speculate
The case has been four years in the ,
rious land afiices, and has accumu'at
the basket full OF papers that drew
attention of the Times correspondent