New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-06
MRs. GAINES To- THE PUBLIC.

&HAAD$Ss
Enjoying. as do, the sympathy and re.
spect of the virtuous aad good of my
country-which prize above all price-I
am compelled, through selfdefense, painful
as it is, to notice in this public manner
wanton attack upon my character.
1t is we'll known that under q confrma.
tion of the Board of United States Land
Commissioners in 1872. ratified by Congress
in 1916, my father was the owner Of . certain
quantity of land in this city. which have
had surveyed under the orders of the proper
department OF the Government, and was
about to receive my patent for the same,
when it's issuance was temporarily sus-
pended at the instance of Mr.. Louis Janin,
then in Washington. On his arrival
here Mr.. Wilder informed me that he in
tended to confute Mr.. Janin's charges
OF fraud upon the government officials by
publishing all the documents in relation to
my claim-(and here let me state that Mr..
Wilder is not, nor never was, my agent, but,
as Deputy Surveyor, had surveyed the land
in question:. Subsequently, Mr.. Palms, who
is brOther-in-law of Mr.. Wilder, accom-
panied by Captain Bradford, called on mo
the captains presence by saying he had hap.
pened to meet him on the street, remarking
that Mr.. Wilder had desired him to copy
some papers, which he would do If would
order it. l very naturally supposed they
were papers Mr.. Wilder had spoken of,
which we're to be published but could not
imagine why Mr.. Palms wanted me to order
the copies made, unless it was that he
feared Mr.. Wilder would not pay him for it;
so said, eff Mr.. Wilder refuses to pay you
I will pay you," and repeated it very EN-.
phaticaIly. "But," said he, "T want it in
writing, so as to protect me against Will
der-just little note, which will read"
Tnen stepping to the gaslight, he read some
thing so indisti1ctly and so inaudibly that
l could not understand what he did read,
nor could Mr.. and Mrs. Clark, who were
present. As an evidence of this, Mr.. Clark
took the paper from his hand, and, after
reading it himself, turned to me with great
indignation and said. Don't sign lit
makes you state what ia not true" /,
therefore declined to sign it, and they then
quickly withdrew. The following is copy
of it, as printed in . pamphlet published by
Robert H. and James L. Bradford, "land
lawyers" gotten up, as the pamphlet says,
by Robert II. Bradford, himself, who &C.
cOmpanted Mr.. Palms to procure my sigma
ture to it:
/" Mr.. Lewis Palms. New Orleans. louisiana:
"SIR-My agent, Mr.. William H. Wilder,
has placed IN your Custody the papers IN the
case of Daniel Clark, old Board Of Commis-
siOners, No. lO4, consisting of the Spanish
plat and certificate Of survey for 1890 toises
of land, N favor Of Elisha Winter, the
Spanish patent for the same to Elisha VIM
ter, and deed of sale for the same by
Richard Clark to Daniel Clark, the claimant,
before the Board Of Commissioners. You
Will please furnish me with literal copy OF
fha MI tBofs T5n1a
OF sad er1Gence, and send bin for your fee
to me. Please certify the copy as made by
you in your official capacity OF Register, and
antedate your certificate TO the sWenty-nlnth
OF December, 1856.
" New Orleans, January -, la1O"
trust that the confidence of the public,
in ,uhdteyer else is cOs5o5ned in SAID pamphlet,
sriH be mecsss,ed by tseobJect the authors of ii
had in uisoc, and the Means then adopted to
procure rqu signature as cboue stated being
satisfied that every honest mind will give
the whole affair its proper construction.
Subseo ssnt to the above visit from ,Messrs.
Bradford and Palms, learned from Mr..
Wilder that Re had desired Mr.. Palms, his
brother-ia4Aw, to copy paper which the
former had borrowed from the Registers
office, in order to have it translated 'by Pro-
fessor Diaaitry, then at Pass Christian, with
the view of publishing it to show, the loca-
tion and boundaries of the ropewalk,
and THAI Mr.. Palms, instead of copy
ing as he had promised, carried it
to Mr.. Bradford, who refused to give
it up, saying he would deposit it in
the Ban'zsof Orleans, that it would anrfihi-
late my claim, etc. Now, upon receiving
this Information, sc far from suppressing"
testimony as asserted in said pamphlet,
Immediately informed the Surveyor General
l of it, and desired him to lose no time, but to
| take measures at once to get possession OF
| it, and to publish it, SO that If 1t was
agains: me the public might know it, and il
| in my favor might have the benefit of 1t.
COlODsa Lynch then. after some trouble, sue
| ceeded in getting 1t, when 10 and behold II
turned ont to be copy OF plat OF strip
| of ground called ropewalk, having nc
more to do with my claim than plat OF the