Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-03-08
THURSDAY, MARCH g. 1860.
The Houmas Land Claim.

confirming an Old grant VI idiiu III 'i1'1' 1'''o'
the effect of which, If enforced. would be to
d;snossess some hundreds of families of homes
of which they had had possession for many
vears- and which had been bought and paid
for by them. The passage of this bill crea-
ted. as might have been expected, great con-
starvation and excitement amongst the real
owners Of the land, and their friends 1t was
charged that it had been surreptitiousiy, oil
without knowledge of its purport by mem
bers. pushed through Congress, and its repea
was Indignantly demanded. Soon after the
meeting Of Congress last December, Mr. BEN
JaNIS a-ked the appointment of committee
TO investigate the transaction; and we iearL
frum the Washington correspondence OF the
Cincinnati Enquirer that the Committee have
reported against Mr.. BLEJAaIS, and in favor
of tho occupants. A greater swiudle has sell
dom been attempted in this country The
following article from New York paper con-
tains history of this claim:
I, the wear IVA, two residents of Louisi-
ana Maurice Conway and Alexander Laiil.
claimed to- have purchased for $50 tract OF
Land. some seventy miles above Ne" Orleans.
%
CcUIa Indians petitiOned Gov Unzaga to
con1;rn that purchase. which be Is alleged to
6oye done. No evidence is on record that
those Indians had any right to said lands
nor that the Chief had any right 10 sell them
~ th.v had. Nor is there any record evil
Jance that he ever did sell, or pretend to sell,
any such lands This tract was originally set
forth as half league in extent on the MIssis-
siupi. running back to the depth OF league
Lar- nfirFFlp d IL
legged purchase under certain conditions:
In I77G. Maurice Conway, having bought
ont I'atil again petitions the Governor, set
ting forth that he is about to settle on the
aforesaid grant. and that the land aforesaid
ais entirely deficient in fences, and Is cleared
ont inward of a league in depth, ian outra-
,,aous faIsebood0 so that the cypress swamp.
Tor resort for TIMBER being about a league
and a half from the river, your petilloh HAS
no right thereto, in consequence oil your hot
having granted him but the common depth oil
forty arpents. which is so short that he can
mot reach the cypress trees necessary TO make
fences and other work absolutely necessary
on a plantation; therefore your petitioner
nravs Won will grant him all the depth which
NAV he vacant Immediately after the SAID
denth of forty arpcnts." Gov. UnZaga there
upon orders Louis Andry to proceed to the
said tract survey it, put the petitioner III
possession of whatever land may be lou u Va
cant in the rear of his tract as aforesaid, to
.sset and mark the boundaries" and make
due return thereof. Andry proceeded to do.
as he was ordered, aud made return as iol-
lows:
AFTER had measured the space between
tho boundaries drawing to that effect in the
woods the lines necessary to ascertain It's
extent-which lines are marked on the plan
or sketch OF my operations, which have de-
fiversd to. the said petiiioner-l proceeded
to nut the petitioner in the possession OF the
depth granted to him by The foregoing de,
cree and accordingly ran Oat the upper and
lower side lines each to the depth of forty
two arpents from the river"
On the 22st of June, HI, Gov. Gulvez.
who had succeeded Unzaga, appears TO have
confirmed to Maurice Conway the lands titus
SURVEYED and marked off to Conway, amUtnt-
ing 10 some twelve or fifteen thousand acres
Such is the legal, historical basis OF the pres
ent ..Houmas Land Claim" which Is now
made to cover $4,000 acres OF beautiful and
fertile land in the heart of Louisiana, EN-
bracjng the homesteads of some five hundred
families, many of which have been living here
for generations. The value OF the property
thus. claimed is estimated at several millions
of dollars.
The claimants of this magnificent estate
have of course been busy enough since Lou
isiana was purchased by the United States, In
seeking to obtain lis confirmation, and In
several instances would seem IL have obtained
a good deal more help than they were legally
entitled TO from certain Federal functional
ries. At length, 1916, more than forty
years after the purchase. patents were issued
Tor part of il from the General Land Office.
Hcreupon, on petition of the settlers, Con-
gress (June 20, 1850 directed the Attorney
General to look into The evidence on which
this Houmas Grant is based, and bring suit
thereon il deemed advisable So said, so
done the suit was brought; the question
tried in the Federal Couris-Judah z Benja-
uiu, now United States Senator, being one
of the counsel for the claimants-and they
were beaten; Judge Campbell Nov. %, 1867
ruling that their patent was Illegal. null and
void, and decreeing that it be delivered up
within thirty days To be cancelJd. More
than three years have since elapsed. but the
defendants persist in treating the order OF the
Cour. with contempt.
Long ere this. Mr.. John Slidell the other
Senator from Louisiana. had purchased a
heavy interest in the lioumas grant. la
IS43 4, Mr.. Slidell being then Member OF
the House and on the Committee on Private
Land Claims, bill was reported from said
Committee, intended to cover and confirm
the Houmas grant; hut this bill was power
fully opposed AID defeated
But one defeat is not decisive, rs against
such able iactieians. TN the 9th al january
1858. Mr.. Polk of Mo, submitted to the Sen
ate A bill Tor the relief OF Manuel Leisa, Joa-
chin LeiSe, and Others, aud 10 provide Tor
the lacaiion of certain confirmed private land
claims. 1t referred to claims in Missouri.
and was intended. In certain cases where the
particular lands granted could not be found
or were of 10 value, To permit other lands
to be located instead. This bill went OF
course to The Committee on Private Land
Claims whereof Mr.. benjamin l. Chairman,
and he reported it, March Il, 1858. with an
amendment" striking out all alter the en-
acting clause, aud making il "A bill 10 pro-
vide for the location of csrtin confirmed
private lands-in the State oi Missouri, and
fsr other ptrposes" [surc enough,l whereof
sec. 2 reads n tullows
And Be Il further esace Cd, That the decisions
In favor of land claimants made lay Grym' $,
Lewis aud Robertson. commissioners appoint
ed to adjust private land claims in the East
ern Distrie: of the Territory Of Orleans,
communicated to The HCase OF R,pl eseata-
tives by the Secretary of the Tree stIry. on
the 9th January, 1872, which is la be found
in the American Stale PaprrS q ua Green's
edition,l vol. 2. from page 22i to Sol iHclu-
siye, b and he sfsae are hereby c0Hrrssd, saving
and reserving to all adverse claimants the
right to assert the validity OF their claims in
O court or courts Of justice"
Was ever a very black eat more nicely
covered with the wbitesi Of -four. The ti,l-
of the bill says nothing Of land claims in
Louisiana; the Houmas Grant is nowhere
hialed n. The decisions covering the
hundred and forty-three pages OF Daf Greens
American State Pspsrs designated ase ever
one thousand in number, and were all but
Eve or six promptly confirmed when made,
more than forty years ago. But theve OF
those deci>ions. Nos. rs, III and I33, cover
the Hoamas Claim. and these Of Course bad
stood uneeufir'ned through forty-six years.
uatii Mr.. benIanin's tact succeeded ia slip
Ping them through congress, just as a bislrr