Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-05-15

Fort Smelling can be spared, without weaken
ing the defence of the frontier"
In the face of this opinion, and without CON
sulting any other military authority, the SIX
weeks old Secretary pushed on the sale!
3. Some time in April, Maj. Seth Eastman
of the Army, an old crony of Steele's, was
sent out by Secretary Floyd to survey the Fort
Smelling Reserve into forty acre lots, with only
verbal orders. On the 25th Of May, Major
Eastman and William King Heiskell, neigh
Dor in Virginia, and special political and per-
sonal ally Of Secretary Floyd, were appointed
by him Commissioners, at IS per day and ex-
penses, to go out to Minnesota and sell the
Fort Smelling Reserve. Dr. Arch. Graham
was already on the ground, as was Maj. East
man in his crpacity of Surveyor Franklin
Steele was living there where he had lived for
many years as sutler. To make the witch
broth "slab and good" Mr.. John O. Mather
was about this time appointed by Secretary
Floyd Commissioner to go out to Minnesota
Cat So day and expenses) and there examine
and report on the Fort Ripley reservation. He
did so, having arranged with the Schells and
with DIR. Graham to dip into Fort Smelling il
that should seem "right" So the lst of June
or thereabouts found the whole party, except
Secretary Floyd and the Schells, at or about
Fort Smelling. zig,
6. The Commissioners, Eastman and Heis-
kell, were appointed at Washington on the
18th of May last; on the 9th of June-eleven
days thereafter-they had executed at Fort
Smelling the sale of the whole Reserve to
Franklin Steele for 800, 0o0--one third to be
paid on the 10th of July following; the bal
ance in two equal annual payments thereafter. '
Possession to be given as soon as the Score
tary of War can dispense with it for military
purposes, and a deed giuen aOhen the first pay,
ment aforesaid is made, and satisfactory secu
rity for the deferred payments given" The
annals of the Government may be safely chal
lenged for the production of another instance
in which valuable estate was decided away
upon the payment of one-third of the pur
chase money, without even requiring mort
gage for the balance due. The deferred pay
Maj. Eastman was sent out expressly to sur
yey the tract into forty acre lots, he appears
not even to have completed the survey at al
he says in his testimony it was "ncarly com
pleted when he received instructions as Com
missioner but in the contract of sale it il
said to be "dbout seven thousand acres.
Good judges testify that the area is from eigh
to ten thousand acres. Maj. Eastman testife
plumply that "the land is not secured to hin
[Steele] until it has been paid for, except b,
contract'-the exact contrary being stipulate,
in the contract, signed by Maj. Eastman
T. That there should be all manner of loos
testimony as to the value of a property so mys
teriously sold, is almost matter of course
Men were brought forward to swear it dow
to $4,000, while equally good judges swor
it up to 100000. Some swore the soil in tn
average poor-partly subject to overflow b,
the rivers; partly sandy and sterile; Will
others considered it in the average quite good
We infer that some of it is very good, bu
that, as whole, it is not equal to the averag,
Of Minnesota. Some swore it rare site for ,
city; others that it was worth little or NOTHING
on that score. 1t is very generally agreed
among the witnesses, however, that, if thi,
site had been open to settlement fifteen years
ago, the great commercial city of the Uppo
Mississippi would have been located her
rather than at st. Paul: but the fact that 81
Paul, st. Anthony, Minneapolis, &C., have s.
long start is hard to get over. Mr.. Steele
however, testifies that he has begun to lay on
a city on the Reserve, and has sold lots, eve
in these times, at fair town lot prices. Mr.. h
B. Hancock, living in Minneapolis, and engae
ed in buying and loaning on lands, testife
that he considers this Reserve worth little 0
nothing now as town-site, but worth full
! $4,000 for agricultural purposes. Mr. Steel
corroborates this by testifying that he has sol
one-twenty seventh Of the Reserve for SC, sc
in cash or its equivalent which is at the rat
Of $179,9S2 for the whole. We presum
! 100000 about the fair, honest value of tn
property now, though it might easily hay
been sold for 100000 last Summer. Tn
amount paid for il, including the real value {
the improvements which Mr.. Steele and other
had some sort Of equitable (but not legal) clair
to compensation for, was about 100000, S
that the gouge perpetrated on the Treasury j
just about that amount
| s. A most significant feature of this busi
ness is the unwillingness Of the parties cJn
cerned to tell from ,ohOm they first leaynt,
that Fort Smelling uds to be sold. Dr. Ora
ham, indeed, tells us that Secretary Floyd toll
him; but hear the others;
Question no. State whence you [Richar
| Schelll first derived the information that For
Smelling was in market and for sale2
Answer l do not distinctly rccoect hoy
came in possession of the facts. think
saw in a paper, during Pierce's administration
that the Fort was to be sold"
This statement is scarcely reconcilable witt
recorded facts. Rice tried, the year before, +
induce the War Department to sell the For
Smelling Reserve to Franklin Steele for fifteel
dollars an acre, stating in his letter that tn
whole reservation, Including the overfowet
lands" contained but five thousand acres
making the price, $4,000 Secretary JEFF