The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-06-13
The !mperishabIe Fishers.
Mark Twain Gives II Contemplate Set
Claimants Showing Up.
ITO the Editor of the NV YORK World

ITO the Editor of the NV YORK. World
| find the following in the editorial col
umns OF the Hartford Courant
"Thc famous Fisher claims are revived
again before congress, and, according to somC
correspondents, have chance of success
.|They generally do succeed 1t was in 1915
that the Indians troubled the original Fisher
or that our troops did, or both; and ever
lsnce that the family have been angling
about Washington. SO far for clam thai
at first was called $4,000, the country has
paid in installments a total of S66,5,0.S5. The
present demand is tor S66S4S more, with in.
terest, thus paving the way for later claim
for the interest on this sum. Hostility and
ridicule do not either of them seem to avail
against the Fisher representative, and he is re-
ported full of hope of another lucky haul.
The bill has been reported iavorably upon
by the committee on military affairs. If we
are gong to try to cut down our expenditure
rs much as possible it might make good
start to begin with r0trenchmcnt on the Fish
ers."
So the Fisher heirs have come again. |
wrote full account of the performance of
these unsuitable blood-suckers, and published
1t in The Gai0Fy magazine in 1S7O--August
of that year, l think. My facts were drawn
from official sources, that is to say, from pr<
ed documents If the house and Sendte-dOca
ments which the favorably reported military
committee can see at any moment if they are
really ignorant of the fact that the Fisher
claim is vile swindle upon the government
The committee need only send to the docu-
ment department! o.! the capitol for II. L. Tx.
Doc. No. 81, Both congress, 2d session, ana
for s. Elk. Doc. No 106, 41st congress, Cd
session, if they really do not know the hlstO-
ry of the Fisher pirates.
These Fishers are not the only people who
ever did me the high honor to try to bride
me. | call ii II high honor because it seems
to suggest that | am worth brbing. After
The GdLdry article appeared they sent a.
former Californian congressman all the way
to Buffalo to intimate to me that could make
it very profitable to myself if would prom
Use to be silent about the Fisher claim in flu
ture. That was all. | was only to keep still
and let the Fishers alone. | was really so
much tattered by this attention that | did not
destroy the messenger. | SAID | would keep
perfectly still without charge, until the Fish
ers moved upon congress again, and then
would say all could against them, even If it
did no sort of good. So 1 want to keep my
promise now. There are people whose words
can be effective, whether mine are or not and
beg Gen. Hawley or Sunset Cox or Mr.. Beck
to do plain duty to the country and extin-
guish these impOrtunatc vampires.
lfyour readers are not acquainted with the
Fisher conspiracy, let me state the facts in
brief Sixty years ago, the Creek war being
then in progress in Florida, the crops, herds,
and houses of Mr.. George Fisher were des-
troyed by the said Creek Indians. George
Fisher seems TO have known that he could
not collect damages from the government for
destruction done by Indians; so TO the day of
his death he does not appear TO have made
any application for damages. Fisher died,
and his widow married again. The ne,c huS-
band, nearly twenty years after the Indian
raid, petitioncd for damages ard tried toprove
that some of the destruction was done by
the troops that pursued the Indians. The
congress of that day smiled a bland smile at
that ingenious idea, and decidedly declined
10 see IL
| The Fishers waited another l6 years, ana
then petitoned again. They got SSSi3, be
tanned The auditor said the testimony
showed that at least half the destruction was
done by the Indians before the troops start
ed in pursuit"
| The Fishers came once more the same
year. This time they got interest on the s.
lS53 for 10 years, the same amounting to So
800 O.
The Fishers lay quiet for five years, and
came again in 1854 but James Guthrie, an
honest man, was chief of the treasury then,
and he sent them about their business, with
/ the pointed remark that they had been paid
ltco much already