The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-02

There are other witnesses who testify TO che same prsc
ticc in the West but pass them by 70 introduce
extract from the evidence Of Frdrktn Ste esq who.
although the purchaser Of the property occupies high
position integrity and truth thst feel difficult
~ in presenting his statement entitled to the fullest
confidence:
made The time which would have peysued the
fro realizing thu full value Of the iandf
Of money place iBdyaaai
him buying the whole tract dollar and quarter
Question you mode have obtained
cheaper than you did at private sale
prsaulne could perhaps reservation,
thai portion Of which buildings situated much
Question 1865 MA you decline entering into ha, combination,
Question 1854 ndersand you say this
sold public auction would not have boash, much as
Answer That is my opinion ~
Question lcs Why then did bid pvs,s without
| seeking 10 have a public sale madeo $50
Because had been sold public might have
been deprived purchasing more than quarter section or legal
Question lleo Explain how would have been prevented from
purchasing than quarter section
should have been prevented by the combination that
Question you yoin
ton or could you not have bid upon your own responsibility
have comply regulations
Question los Why would have been have done
personal violence per
struck S sss @ was @ is y w Ae
the passed Immediately settled upon after
legal iuSdivion upon which located These persons
os sn @ @ at aud '
They protect
corded with this claim ASSOCIATION they would carry him Of not per-
sp Violence @ but They sv yoS ss him u
Such instances have occurred at such sales frequently, and the
al public announced
have been considered longer occupied for military and
claiming his legal sub division who would have formed combination
similar 70 that formed when tho other portion OF the
The commissioners having decided for the set
FORTH to dispose of the property at private in preference
to public SALE and to sell the entire in body
they opened correspondence with Franklin Steele for
its sale. We can nothing in the preference thus
shown to Mr. Steele which should subject their motives
to any suspicion, To one Of the commissioners Mr.
Heiske 1t seems he was an entire stranger. With the
other Major Eastman, he scarcely upon friendly
terms And who is Franklin Steele pioneer Of the
wilderness and of the earliest settlers west of the
Mississippi He is gentleman of intelligence, enter
prise and public spirit OF admitted pecunary RESPONSE
bility and of acknowledged integrity and weight of
character But the commissioners, in their official
port have clearly disclosed the which prompt
ed them to make the contract of sale with him. that
shall permit them to speak for Themselves:
awe Ind tho reservation extensive made
citizens the cost of which be less than $50 they date back
some twenty And Also ind that they all owned and in
the suffer- Franklin Steele esq Many
improvements made by himself with tho knowledge and
giant dwelling with corresponding
the junction the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers that ferry for
sable And find that Mr. steele authorized establish and
said which he has,
officers and and munitions Of across night free
charge to the government He has bu ferry oue and
attendance lie has Also built warehouse There large
valuable stone building with frame addition making extensive
have cost less than $4,000 The built the
Kenneth McKense who in 1883 tue extensive add
tor alluded oa the entire building in good order and furnished
Mr. Kenneth Mekese for this property and secured tho government
ing that Mr. Steele the only claimant 70 the improvements the
same made by citizens M At
steele We could not admit
Under your for he admitted That o bad never been
could not conceal the fact that he had expended
chase the would eectuy compel him 70 ss an he had
expended we % came to u. that justice required
accordingly made him the o He proposed give five
dispose o. Tor less sum Than We had estimated az VIZ
u Which price ne accepted II and We closed omtras, for the same
1t may he proper here state that AZ the time the
tract of sale made between the agents of the
ment and Franklin Steele arrangement existed by
which DIR. Archibald Graham, of Virginia, John @.
Alather and Richard Sche aud wife of New York.
to be recognised, in conjunction with Mr. Steele as joint
Of the property when purchased their respective
interests arranged follows Steele to be entitled
to one full third Graham, Mather, Sche and wife,
the remaining two thirds the parties pay the pur-
chase money proportion their interests in the prop
erty The contract made with Steele alone and the
proof conclusive that the agents Of the government
were ignorant at the period ofs execution and for
interested in this purchase except Franklin Steele the
individual with whom the contract was made.
We approach the last question arising upon this
evidence which requires examination relating
to the value of this property and the price at which It
sold.
Mas sold By he Commissioners for inadequate price
All who have any recollection OF the dcfamaory pub
LEGATIONS which, during the last and fall fol-
lowed the contract of sale, will remember how petina-
ciously the idea sought be impressed upon the
public MUD that property belonging to the government
worth non and ha of dollars had been recklessy
sacrificed for the of $50 600 1t in vain that
correct exposition of the true value of this property
submitted to the public in vain that reference was
made to oil the previous land sales of the country the
fact demonstrated that this reservation had sold higher
price per than any parcel of public land had ever
been sold by the government except, alone, the Fort
Dearborn reserve lying within the corporate limits of the
city of Chicago check could be given to the
less spirit of detracon and the public wind continued
to be poisoned by the repetition of the grosse
opening of Congress committee Of investigation was
asked amongst other matters the value
of the property, and that committee promptly accorded
In the progress of the investigation thus ordered thirty
four witnesses examined touching it's value Of which
number eight only have expressed the opinion that it sold
below its true value; TAO have testified that the price
obtained what the property, in their Judgment
fairly worth tccyor have expressed the opinion that
sold beyond its fair value SASS
That there should have been found some individuals
ready to place extravagant estimate upon the Fort
Smelling property is not at oil remarkable II is well
known that the old and we'll settled States where
rarely arises before the courts involving the value of
n OF the md