, 1872-07-11
MrAssEss.-The malicious bumme1

Va Va SOA' A-esAAoCNSt "AAO ANp pt>SA>" ~ -
professionally engaged on the opposite
side in suit in which lie has no inter.
est, and the merits of which are yet to
be determined. Mr.. Mcknight, as i,
well-known, visited Washington as the
Attorney of certain parties in interest,
to contest the decision of the Land Off
GERS, which awarded the wife's half OF
the Maynard claim to Lydia, the di-
yorced wife, in whose name the claim
was first taken, instead of Catharine,
the subsequent wife, whose name had
been substituted by Maynard in convey
ing, and who, in appl, ing for patent
filed an oath that Lydia Maynard was
dead, and asked that the patent issue to
Catharine, his then wife. The Com
missioner Of the General Land Office
replied to this, that the second wife
could not inherit the rights of the iirst:
that the patent could only issue to Lydia
| MAYNARD. or in CT Sc of her death, to her
heirs. By this decision all the convey
ances made by Catnarine Maynard were
void. About one year ago gentleman
from the East who had invested large
amount of money in lands on the May
nard claim, applied to Col. Larrabee, as
a lawyer, to examine the title. and he
then ascertai.le that all the rights con-
veyed by Catharine May nard were based
upon surreptitious divorce and false
oath, both of which had been declared
invalid towards perfecting title. by the
Commissioner. Gel. Larrabee publish
ed these facts to the citizens, and urged
upon those interested to concert some
measure to perfect their title; but no
one gave any heed to this advice but his
own client, who Immediately started for
the East in search of the heirs of Lydia
Maynard, to perfect his title to lands
which he had bought and paid for, and
he found ydia herself, alive and well,
and purchased from Ter her entire IN
terest in the estate, taking the deed in
the name of himself, Larrabee and
another, sending with the deed power
of Attorney to I.arrabee to make such
disposal of the matter as he might deem
just and equitable with all parties inter
ested. Coz. Larrabee advertised to all
actual settlers and occupants upon that
claim, that he would quit claim to them
Lydia Maynard's title, upon application
and paying the cost of conveyancing.
In the meantime the Land Officers. un-
der instructions from the General Land
| Office, advertised through the public
prints for the neirs of Lydia Maynard
to appear and prove up their claim on
day set for the hearing. LYDIA appeared
in person. proved her wifeship under
which the claim was made, and after a
full hearing, the Land Officers awarded
| her the East half of the claim, upon
which there is not single settler, and
which is mostly held by non-residents
solely for speculative purposes. To OPP
pose this decision in behalf of the as
signees of Catharine Maynard, Mr.. Nc
Naua ht was sent to Washington, and we
have no doubt, from his acknowledged
zeal and ability, that he performed his
allotted work creditably and wei, and
would not care to have his fame herald
d in connection with foul and mali
cious libel upon tie opposing counsel.
The Intelligencer. in speaking of Mr..
McNaught's mission. volunteers the re-
marks:
"We are pleased, in this connection,
ais to stste that there is good reason
for believing that his services in behalf
of the property-holders in this city,
whose interests were seriously leopard
lied by the resorts of few land specu-
lators and sharpers, are more than likely
to be attended with success, as the
chances now are largely in favor of the
defeat of the almost surreptitiously ac-
quired claims of those land grabbers,
who would deprive large number of
our citizens of their hard-earned prop
erty."
The plain statement of the facts before
given show how maliclously false are
these remarks. No speculator had any
thing to do with jeopardizing the inter-
ests of any property-holder in this city.
The right of Catharine Maynard to hold
and convey this property had been de-
cided against by the Commissioner; il
then belonged, under that decision, to
Ly la Maynard. or to the United States
The Land Officers determined it belong
ed to Lydia by virtue of her wifehood
In no event could this conflict have beer
avoided under the circumstances. L
there was wrong in the matter, it was
antecedent to any act of the parties nov
in contest, and as there is no settlement
upon the contested tract, it is contes
exclusively between spectators several
ly represented by Larrabee and Nc
Naught, and the United States Govern
ment, to which it will probably revert i
Lydia Maynard's certificate for paten
is revoked.
7 We have no pecuniary interest in thil
controversy, have had no inclination tt
meddle with it in any way. and only re