The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1877-05-17
whole No. 2138.
IFrom the Scioto Gazette Of May Q, 1877.
To the People of the Vir-
ginia Military District
of OhiO-Look out
for StumpS.

10 me Elit9rS Of the Sci0t0 Gazette:
Congress, on the 18th day of February, 1871,
ceded to the State Of Ohio all the 'unsurveyed and
unsold lands" in the Virginia Military District and
the State conveyed the same in March, 1872, TO the
Agricultural and Mechanical College, and appoint
ed R. Leete, Esq, to look after the business
Nearly all Of this vacant land was supposed to be
situate in the counties Of SciotO Pike and part Of
Adams. Many of the old surveys, made sixty or
eighty years ago. have not been patented, but set
led from fifty to seventy years ago. The counties
Of BroSn, Clermout, Highland, Clinton, Franklin,
Pickaway and other counties, have more or less Of
these old uupatented surveys. The College claims
there is Surplus" in these old unpatented surveys
and that the excess belongs to the College, and
hat "by law no patent can be legally issued for
any greater amount Of land than is set forth in the
warrant They claim this. lSee report Of the
Commissioner Of the General Land ONCE to the
Secretary Of the Interior, 1876, page 57) The Col
lege, by Mr.. Leete, has fled q general "caveat"
against the issue of patents on al surveys, both
old and late and no patents are being issued at this
date. Many Of these old surveys were made in
haste and in Indian times by Massie E O'BannOn,
in lISs to '92, with Hawkeye with his rifle watch
ing for Indians. Some of these old surveys con
tain surplus, especially those on tortuOUs streams;
and there Is scarcely any survey made in early
times but contains more or less surplus above
the quantity called for.
The College trigonometry and spirit level are to
be applied TO the Old unpateuted surveys, and the
surplus" Mr.. Leete contends is f'IfnSUrUeUed
land, and belongs to the College. (See report of
Commissioner Of Land Office, 1876, page 5Tl 1t is
Just and right that these old SURVEYS should be
patented as they are, and not according to Mr..
Lectes idea, the surplus excluded by a re-sur-
vey and given TO the College If this doctrine of
re-survey is established, many man will lose his
farm, on which he has lived lifetime. Suppose
Kings survey No. l549, on Miami, and Paskeys
No. $40, on the East Fork, with its three miles OF
t0riuOus Wlndlugs, were uupatguted and the Col
lege gets the surplus il would be worth half the
lands in the Pee Pee and Sunfsh hills. But here
he can not go behind the patent. I am calling the
attention Of old settlers on old surveys, to this
matter. Open your "chistsn and Took at U0ur
deeas a2d see Y the surrey yOU lire patented or
But let US hear from Mr.. Leete. In his report to
the Governor Of Ohio I'm December last, he
says: 1T has not been, Is it the purpose OF the
p0Aey Of ths Trustees TO interfere nth strUsys long
since ndQe ch1ch hare not been carried into patent
By Of mere technical defscts1
But what does the Commissioner Of the General
Land ONCE say in his report, December. 1876, page
5o2 He says, 81 am duly dGgjsed that the COllege
10 questtGh eeSlgHS TO make re-sJTreyS Of all iiyl-
patented lands embraced iH OUtst1nding sr1eUs. and
expects % complete and NE the grifHce therein the
lSt Of January merit" If it is not his purpose or
the expense OF making tlem2 Come, Mr.. Leeie,
don't palm OFT that in the face of what v0u have
gwen notice TO the Commissioner YOU intended 10
do. He also says I his rfpOrt that he has 'DIaead
~ the hands Of surveyors 10 fifteen counties IN the
district, the eld notes Of SrUCVs for examination
surrey and Tc-StTrCy lCheIl necessary What COun-
ties? There must be, then, twelve counties be-
sides the counties of SCiOtO, Pike and nart Of
Adams, where IL was supposed that uiup-tenfhs of
all vacant land was TO be found But bv his reDOrt
u IS not the vacant land that he is in search Of
put the surplus in surveys already made. tSee
MS EepCFl1 page 3i.} Inere Is no vacant land In
the counties of Brown, ClermOut, Highland Ciin-
ton, PlckaWay and others, which must be among
these fifteen counties, where his gang of surveyors
are at work looking for Surplus"
No entries or surveys have been made It is said
since 1919 IN ClermOnt and Brown, and in those
only small strips and pieces and but few in High
land and the other counties named. We want the
names Of the twelve counties outside of the cOun-
ties OF Pike, SclOtO and Adams, and perhaps these
are not nclCded in his fifteen where his gang is at
work Ihat there Is "surDus" in some of the sur
Eeys made since lS4u In the poor Suush hills and
Red Brush country, there is nOdOubt, but that is
no reason tnat the Commissioner Of the General ]
Land Office should refuse 10 issue patents on these
lnceHJ surveys made over fifty and seventy years /
ago, because perchanCe they may contain some
surplus which Mr.. Leete claims belongs to the Col
c. IT he is not after the surplus In the old sur
yeys, why are these surveyors in the fifteen cOun-
ties with field notes of surveys, and in counties ]
"here Dut very few If any entries and surveys have
been made for 30 years2
say 0ld settlers in the district wake up talk TO
your members Of Congress and let the surveys on I
which you live be protected and made valid If O .
law Is passed, as suggested by the Commissioner of
the General Land Office in his report to the Secre-
.ary OF the Interior, the College viii get the inside
track and every old unparented survey will be re-
surveyed and many Of You will lose your homes. /
Leete's purpose and policy" will be changed, /
when he has his finger in your eye, and Congress
shall say that all uupatented lands now suspended ]
by report of Commissioners Of the Land Office /
shall be Ts-sliTreyed for surplus Don't trust 20
has cemency, because his expenditure is going to /
eat mp all the vacant land and he must 20 for sur-
plus" 10 make up his loss; but urge Congress to /
pass an act that shall cause these old surveys to be
patented as recorded in the Surveyors Office
Leete has selected few exceptional sttrUeYs in the
poor Suntsh and Red Brush Hills worth but little,
surplus, the better to carry his point
With the Commissioners and Congress at its next |
session, so the patents shall not Issue on these an
sient surveys. Now live on a very little cntru,
no surrey and no patent, and if Mr. Leete viii try
10 take the entry and succeeds, he shall have it /
With all my heart, and my game cock, 'Spangled /
Bill" in the bargain. Every entry in the district
made prior to the lst of January 1852, can be
made to stand, if the owners have pluck to dcfeHd
hem. I can give the authorities. The act Of Ces-
ZION should have had a "prOyisO" protecting sur
7eys and the old settlers. An Agricultural College
10ssjbly may be good thing, but not at the saCri-
ice Of personal rights, and the homes Of old set
lers. JABEZ VIGUS.
"POssom Run, Madison Co., o., May ], 1877.