Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-01-20
The Facts In the Case Of George
FISHER, Deceased.
BY MARK TWAIN.

ment of facts and circumstances with
which the Congress of the United States
has interested itself from time to time dur
ing the long period of half century.
/ will not call this matter of George
Fishers great deathless and unrelenting
swindle upon the Government and people
of the United States--for il has never been
80 decided, and hold that it is a grave and
solemn wrong for writer TO cast slurs or
call names when such is the case-but will
simply present the evidence, and let the
reader deduce his own verdict. Then we
shall do nobody injustice, and our con-
sciences shall be clear.
On or about the 1st day of September,
1918, the Greek war being then in progress
in Florida, the crops, herds and houses OF
George Fisher, citizen, were destroyed,
either by the Indians or by the United
States troops in pursuit of them. BY the
terms Of the law, if the Indians destroyed
the property there was no relief for Fisher;
but If the troops destroyed 1t, the Govern.
ment of the United States was debtor to
Fisher for the amount involved.
George Fisher must have considered
that the Indians destroyed the property, be-
cause, although he lived several years af-
terward, he does not appear to have ever
made any claim upon the Government.
In the course of time Fisher died, and
his widow married again. And by and by,
nearly twenty years after that dimly re-
membered raid upon Fishers cornfield, the
qoi10U FISHERS ne,c husband petitioned Con-
gress for pay for the property, and backed
up the petition with many depositIons and
a1idavits which purported to prove that
the troops and not the Indians destroyed
the property; that the troops for some in
scrutablc reason, deliberately burned down
"houses" (or cabins) valued at 5000, the
same belonging to u peaceable private
citizen, and also destroyed various other
property belonging to the same citizen
But Congress declined to believe that the
troops were such idiots (after overtaking
aud scattering band of Indians proved to
have been found destroying Fishers pro-
perty as to calmly continue the work of
destruction themselves and make COM
plete Job of what the Indians had only
commenced. So Congress denied the
petition of the heirs of George Fisher in
1882, and did not give them cent.
We hear he more from them officially
until 1913, sixteen years after their first at
tempt on the Treasury, and a full genera
ton after the death of the man whose
fields were destroyed. The new genera
ton of Fisher heirs then came forward
and put in bill for damages The Second
Auditor awarded them $S,873 being half
the damage sustained by Fisher. The
Auditor said the testimony showed that at
least half the destruction was done by the
Indians "bef0r6 the troops started in pur
Suit," aud of course the government was
not responsible for that half
Q That was in April, 1S4S. In Decem-
Der, 1S4S the heirs of George Fisher, de-
ceased, came forward and pleaded for a
"revision of their bill of damages. The
revision was made but nothing new could
be found in their favor except an error of
800 in the former calculation. However,
in order to keep up the spirits of the
Fisher family, the Auditor concluded to go
back and allow interest from the date of
the first petition (1S32) to the date when
the bill of damages was awarded. This
sent the Fishers home happy, with sixteen
years interest on SIS, S,S73-the same amount
ing to SS,99794 Total $17S7094.
3. For an entire year the suffering Fish
or family remained quiet-even satisfied,
after fashion. Then they swooped down
upon government with their wrongs once
more. That old patriot, Attorney General
Toucey, burrowed through the musty pa
pers of the Fishers and discovered one
more chance for the desolate orphans-in-
terest on that original award of $S,S73
from the date Of destruction of the prop
erty 1S13) up TO 1882! Result, $4,000 SO
for the INDECENT Fishers. So now we
have: First $S,S73 damages; second, in
terest on it from 1882 to 1S4S, $S,99794
third, interest on it dated back to 1913
$10,004s9. Total, $27, ,S75.93! What bet
ter investment for great-grandchild thar
to get the Indians to burn a corn-field fol
him sixty or seventy years before his birth
and plausibly lay it on lunatic United
States troops?
4. Strange as it may seem, the Fishers
let Congress alone for five years-or, what
is, perhaps, more likely, failed to make
themselves heard by Congress for that
length of time. But at last, in 1854, they
got hearing They persuaded Congress
to pass an act requiring the Auditor to re
examine their case. But this time they
stumbled on the misfortune of an homes
Secretary of the Treasury (Mr. James
Guthre) and he spoiled everything. HI
said, in very plain language, that tht
Fishers were not only not entitled to an
other cent, but that those children of man,
sorrows and acquainted with grief ha(
been paid too much already.
D. Therefore, another interval of res
and silence ensued-an interval which
lasted four years, viz, till 1858. Tht
fright man in the right place was thel
Secretary of War-John B. Floyd of pc
culiar renown! Here was master intel
lect, here was the very man to succor TIN
suffering heirs of the dead and sufferin.
Fisher. They came up from Florida witt
rush-a great tidal wave of Fishers
freighted with the same old musty docu
ments about the same immortal corn
fields of their ancestor. They straight
way got an act passed transferring tn
Fisher matter from the dull Aditor to tn
ingenious Floyd What did Floyd do? III
said :" it was proved that the Indians dc
stroyed everything they could before tn
troops entered in pursuit" He considered
therefore, that what they destroyed mus
have consisted of "the houses with al
their contents, and tholiquor" (the mos
trifling part of the destruction, and sc
down at only $4,000 all told), and that tn
government troops then drove them O.
and calmly proceeded to destroy
Two hundred and twenty acres of cor
in the field, thirty-five acres of wheat, an
1856 head of live stock What singular
ly intelligent army we had in those day
according to Mr.. Floyd-though not az
cording to the Congress- of 1882.
So Mr.. Floyd decided that the govern
ment was not responsible for that $3, 90
worth of rubbish which the Indians dc
stroyed, but was responsible for the propert
destroyed by the troOps-which propert
consisted Of q quote from the printe
Urite States Senate document):
Corn at Bassett's Creek. k..................., $40
Stock hogs Observation-Disclosures, 10
DToNe hoss' ''''''''''''...,,.,.. 1,2
MneaI '''''''' ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81
Corn on the Alabama NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., AZ Az
Total. ..........,.........,.....S S18, 1
That sum, in his report. Mr. Floyd cal