Wabash express. [volume] (Terre-Haute, Vigo Co[unty], Ind.) 1841-186?, 1860-08-22


y Of felony. still, with full knowledge
4 these disqualihcations and disabilities,
Ie (MirkeD was appointed aud Invested
" his Excellency with the duties of this
important aud responsible office, for the
performance sf which he is not required to
i've any bonds" This is the man, cover
ID all over with crime, that Gov. Willard
appointed Swamp Land Commissioned
Let US examine for moment his excuse
or go doing. He says: "I found Mr.. Mir
Sel coming from the hands of I is Republi-
ian supervisors in debt SOL 1856 ii. He
has paid all to the State save SIS, 093 SO.
Was It wise appointment, by which
S75 900 was saved to the county of Jas
per-" Did Mirkel come TO Gov Willard |
from the hands of Republican supervi |
sors2 think not, Talbot and Collins had |
no control over him 1t was Gov. Wright /
who had appointed him and who was his
supervisor. Would it not. therefore. have |
been in rather better taste for Gov. Willard
to have said, coming to him from Dem
ocratic Supervisor
But TO the point. Is not that a rather
remarkable excuse of Gov Willard's 70
appointing Mirkel. That because man is
defauller TO the State, for more than 800
600 that you must appoint him to office. to
give him an opportunity to swindle the
State out of enough more to pay the debt
for which he is a defaulter 1t is clear If
MIrkel was not able to pay, before the ap-
pointment. that if he become able n a few
months afterwards, at a salary of 81 per
day, to pay the State as the Governor says
some S75 600; he must have swindled the
State to tina. amount. In my Judgment a
90 'ernor Is inexecusable for appointing
public defaulter to office under any cir
cumstances. After this man NJ irkel's APP
pointmenl as such Commissioner by Gov
Willard let Us see how he conducted him
self, ard in what manner the Swamp Lands
were disposed of under Gov. Wizards ad-
ministration This Swamp Land Fraud
Report. in speaking of Mr.. Mirkel, says
Under this law, (passed March 5, 1850
the Swamp,Land Commissioner of Jasper
county confirmed all the old contracts at
/ 30 cents per cubic yard. which had been
originally let at from IL to Is cents per
cubic yard. and the contractors were per.
mitted to file lists of lands To any amount
they desired, and the amounts of their re
spective contracts were swelled up to COW
er the amount filed; and soon after the
taking effect of this law, all the unsold
Swamp Lands in Jasper county, amount
ing to about 900 acres, were then alb
soroed and nearly all the contractors, with
out paying any money into the county
treasury. by private arrangements, with
Jacob Mirkel, the then treasurer of Jasper
county, obtained from him certificates o.
purchase. and upon these obtained tn,
greater part of their patents for these lands
wonder ii Col. Hendricks ever read thi,
part of the Swamp Land Fund Report2 Fo
it does seem to me, that here is Demo
crat, Mr.. lMirkel, whose frauds exceed Tai
bolt, Collins and Company, by 81 ,0ot
acres of land. Will he remember his prom
Use made To the people of Monroe. AnC
how is it possible that Gov. Willard
should ever have signed the patents, tina
conveyed away all these lands, obtaineG
by fraud as they were. Was he deceivet
by this man Mirkel2 If so, why did h.
not plead with his Democratic representa-.
tives, in 1889. as he did with the Republi.
can Senators in 1857 and urge them to ioii
with the Republicans, and burst up al
these frauds, and regain these lands. +
II because he was opposed to the bill am
felt content with Mirkel's sclsl
Let US turn to another county and Sc
how fortunate Gov. Willard has been in hi
selection of Swamp Land Commissioners
This same report says, {see House Journ-
ais 1859, page l043) your COMMITTEES
lind that in Lake county, frauds of the
grossest kind have been committed by the
present Swamp Land Commissioner, s. r
ChIlds, in connexion with the Treasure
J and DR.. Stanton; that said Stanton, b,
the deposit with said Treasurer of a pre-
tended check or draft. has obtained ccrti
ficates for all unsold Swamp Land in tn
. county, amounting to about $4,000 acres
that after the pretended lettings, the con
tracts being all bid off by Stanton, eacl
time at four cents per cubic yard. was at
forwards confirmed to him at about fortl
cents per cubic yard, that Stanton ha
decided the undivided half OF these land
TO said Childs. that Childs. issued to hin
J ditching certificates for $40 900 on the 28tl
of May last, and soon afterwards othe
ditching certificate to the amount of be.
tween Sc 900 and 81 900 by which the pre-
tended check draft deposited with tn
Treasurer was taken up, aud very littl
. ditching is yet done. Did Gov. Willar,
also sign the patents that conveyed ava,
these lands, without a knowledge of thes
frauds2 Ii so, why did he not unite hi
efforts with ours, and aid US in burstinI
them up. 1t would certainly have been &
the interest of the State.
Here are copies of two of these pretende,
checks with their Endorsements that wer
executed to this man Mirkel, for whicl
Swamp Land were obtained, and which b
afterwards paid off, by issuing SWAMI
Land certificates for ditching, when th
ditching never was done.
"lSDIANArOLIs, Oct. LIST, 1857
Bank of Bloomington pay lcob Mirke
or order, five thousand four hundred An,
sixty four 5s-I00 dollars
PHTSEAs NJ. KENT.
GEo. w. SPLITTER,
M. G. BRIGHT.
NHNnORsRn