The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-02-23
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44N.1 s'ft WOCusu8v SNt 0OWs 10s
To-day is assigned TO consider the
itcms Of the reports OF the House
Judiciary Committee on The MoGar.
rahan cfaims: The minority consists
Of four members Of She committee.
Messrs. Bingham and Butler, Of Mas
sachusetts, and Cook and Eidridge.
Gen. Butler does NOT agrse with the
other throo in the full extent Of their
CONCLUSIONS. They hold that Nc
Garrahan has good title to the land
claimed BY him. 4 General Butler
subsoribes TO but one part of this re-
port, namely, that concerning the
patent alleged to have been signed
and recorded during the administra,
ton OF President Lincoln. The
statement on this point ID, substAn-
TALLY as follows: "On March IA
1888. the patent was made and en-
crossed, and the copy signcd by
President Lincoln and, the Secretary
in charge Of that business This
patent Was recorded in the Ps01ss
book and the record marked " exam
ined. Tho date was allied in
and the sign also recorded
Tho testimony shows that the
records of Patents are mover marked
examined until compared with origi-
nal and found corr6ct and per1oea-
This record remained intact and an
changed until within two year., when
the counsel for the Now Idroe Com
pany drew pencil lines across the
face Of the record, and with pencil
wrote across tho words ssnot aligned"
It remained in this condition until i
and the original patent were calltd
for by the 1dreG Company. In tie
progress Of this examination on the.
production Of what was claimed to
be parchment or original, it was
proved to have never been signed or
dated. This patent was written out
on Eve separate sheets Of parchment,
stitched together with ribbon. On
examination it appeared evident the
last shsot of tho original document
on which were The day date and sig-,
nature, has been taken of and an,
other sheet substituted, on which
wore neithcr date nor signature
Through four of the original sheets
were holes by former stitching, the
new sheet having been attached by
independent sewing. When in April
last the Chairman Of tho Judiciary
Committee called for . certified copy
of the record asit appeared, then Sec
rotary Cox ordered 70 be written on
tho sme the words, "thls patent has
never been signed or executed and
| is Of NO validity, and the record is
cancelled" Thus, as is claimed, no
assumes to certify to q, fact reven
years old, of which he could have no
knowledge and to alter the record of
the. minority of tho committee,
therefore, the report Of . resolu-
ton requiring that the patent shall
again De recorded rs it stood on
March IA, 1868; that McGarraban
DO conceded to hare an the rights
| which such record would give him
and that the President - author
lied to take whatever steps he may
deem expedient to ascertain the
validity of Mr.. McGarrahan's title.
General Butler still holds the opin-
| len announced last fall that NECTAR
rahannor the New Idrea Company
has a valid title, but that the title
rests in tho United States, but he
concurs with this portion Of the mi
nority report because he holds it as
dangerous to admit that executive
officers may order or make altera.
ton of the records of Departments
for any purpose Whatever.