, 1859-01-20
frI1R WASHING ,.o,--11,..

Rock Esl6nd ReatrrdH m.75. E,6 E-...,~.,, >,.1
Dtft1ted-1he ~ Il Smelling Robbery. fuyfAer
Pseoed-faf'@ tae Ninety Thousand Do1ars
lffo7- cur Own Correspondent
WtsHuosox. Jan. Is, 1859.
An extensive scheme OF plunder. in which Of
course the :'ar Department figures Us chief oper.
atoF, has been detected, and in this case exposed
before the schcmss had carried their plan to per-
feet maturity, and had pooketed the profits Of
their job. Some t!me since, Mr.. Farnsworth sub
mitted resolution to tho House, Which WIZ
adopted, calling for Information relative to The
alleged transfer Of the Rock Island or Fort Ann
strong Reservation, in Illinois, from Tie War to
the Interior Department, and whether the lands
embraced in the Reservation had been trespassed
upon, and whether the Secretary Of the Interior
had decided that they were subject to presumption.
The facta Of this case are these Rock Island
is In the Mississippi Hyes, opposite the city Of
Davenport in Iowa, and near that Of Rock Island
In Illinois It contains about LOCO acres. and Is
worth and would sell fol $500 per acre. Its total
value is fairly estimated at $500 900. Tue Island
wls reserved for military station in 1876, and
made the site Of Fort Armstrong. In 1916, Secrc-
ta1y Marcy declared it 20 longer needed for mill
ta1y purposes, and the troops were removed. An
agent waa appointed at liberal salary, to take
care Of the public lands aud property. Some two
years ago the agent was . Nj. Danforth. Under
his administration Of the trust, aud about two
years ago, one Lindsey, said to be from Washing
ton City, moved upon the tract with company
Of Equatters and occupied the laland in the face
Of the prohibition against settlement. This must
have been done with the co1nIvaDce Of Danfortl,
for he appears to have done nothing to prevent it,
and indeed Is nov here, acting as the agent, it is
asserted, Of the men who squattcd upon and
divided among themselves this valuable public
property
1t should here be stated tllat tie Rock Island
country WIS settled up twenty years ag', and that
the neighboring farmers and other residents have
looked with longing eyes upon tho Reservation,
and have been prepared at any time during that
period to pay high prices for it whenereri should
be put up for Eale. Its value is greatly enhanced
by the fact that it is go situated as to furnish
vast water power on the Illinois side, and this has
already been made partially available by q dim
thrown across from the tom Of Moline to the head
Of the Island, By which the water is diverted as
motive-power for machinery.
The squatters set up pre-. .emp1ion claims. Dan
forth resigned, and was appointed purser in the
Navy, 30 that here was piece Of public property,
which had cost from $4,000 to $4,000 merely to
take care Of during the preceding ten years. totally
abandoned. But this apparent recklessness vas
not without a plan. 4 certain undi:tingnished
Western Senator is said to lie the father and the
patron Of the scheme md his share Of tile profits,
in the event Of its success, to be 50 great that
.hould be charged with gross exaggeration were
| to mention it.
OF course tho citizens Of Moline and others in
the neighborhood protested against the claims Of
the equatters to presumption. They insisted that
the land should be PIT up at auction; that those
rho had Improvements depending upou the water
turned from the river by the dam should have the
chance Of securing them. The t1espassets claimed
the prc.emption at oEe dollar and quarter per
acre, and offered 81 600 for the wlole tract, WORTH
| as hare said, $500 900. They procured various
lawyers here at Washington to urge their case,
shrewdly selecting well known Republican,
Montgomery Blair. as one Of them. Upon argu-
mcnt, Mr. Commissioner Hendricks decided that
the Island sutject to pre- tmption, a1 that the
Lindsey squltters were the pre.enptors- Thus,
| by few scratches Of tic pen, the Government
was about to be deprived Of a property valued at
hundreds Of thousands of dollars
| At this point, however, the vigilance Of your
Representative, within whose district the lands
lie, interposed check UPON the proceedings Of
the Spectators. The resolution adopted on his
motion brought the matter to the attention Of the
Secretary Of the INTERIOR and be caused tile papers
to be transferred to lis otll:e. After revision Of
! the whole case, the decision of Commlssion'r
| Hendricks vas reversed, and the lands upon the
Reservation w;ll in due course Of time be offered
| 1t public s.lc. 1t remains to be explained bow
and why the Rcsctya. lion was transferred from the
jurisdiction Of the War Department TO that Of the
Interior.
Mr. Washburne, of Illinois, las called for some
further information On tln sale Of Fcrt Smelling.
| 1t teems that tue whole Of the purchase money
has not yet been paid, though nearly two years
haye elapsed since the lands were sold for less
| than their actual yalue. Are the parties to be
permitted to repcse upon the!r speculation With
out posting" the funds, until return of good
timcs shall enable them to self out for million or
two2 That appears to be the plan.