Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-20
PERU'S LARGEST CREDITOR.
A New York Concerns Claim 20 a
Billion OF Dollars.

The New York San of Saturday morning
says: SIN a note from Senor Martinez. the
Chtlian Minister at Washington, to Secre-
| tary Blaine, reference is made to intrigues
with Peruvian officials by foreign specula-
tors, and mention is made of the Peruvian
| Company. This company has aclaim against
Peru amounting to $1,000, ,000, 900, and has q
capital stock OF $3.50, 100000. It proposes
to take charge Of Peruvian resources
and to administer them for the benefit Of
Itself and other creditors, who are to take
the company's scrip in exchange for their
claims. Chilli is to be recognized among
the creditors of Peru, and reasonable
amount of war Indemnity is to be paid in
company scrip.
The place Of business of the company is
the office of it's President, Mr.. Jacob r.
! Shipherd, on the third floor of 10 Spruce
street. Mr.. Shipherd resides at Richmond
Hill, l.. /. Sitting In his pretty cottage
home last night, he told a reporter of the
Sun about his company and its projects.
Mr.. Shipherd is stout, middle-aged man,
with light hair and beard framing q ruddy
face, and has a shrewd look.
The valuable assets of the company are
an elastic Georgia charter, granted in 1870,
and bought by the company, and the claim
OF Alexander Cochet, said to have been the
| 0lscoVerer OF the commercial value of the
Peruvian guano deposits. In 1888 Peru offer.
ed TO every discoVerer of State treasure a
premium OF one third the amount discovered.
and under this COchet claimed compensation
| for his guano discovery He never pot a
dollar from the Peruvian Government. but
Mr.. Shlpherd estimates his claim as amount-
ing TO $SOO, 200 600 for his third of the guano
sold by the Peruvian Government, and
$lOO,OOO, 600 as the third part of the value of
the deposits still remaining. "Cochet. - said
r Snfnhprd in ha D.
In 1854 He bequeathed his claim to h;s
son, who lives at Lima, Peru. From his SON
the claim was purchased during the war
between Cali and Peru. The matter was
brought to me in the course Of my business
as an attorney" ''N'Ss
Has the claim ever been admitted nv the
government of Peru 2" the reporter asked
:. l1e TACT that COchet was the ORIGINAL
ulScoVerer OF the guano deposit, and is en-
etie1 10 his third, is incontestablv set forth
IN IN reruYlSn archives. Nov / can let YOU
INTO the true history of the downfall of the
Calderon government. We have our agents
In Peru, and Calderon has admitted the aus
tlce OF our claim. At IL o'clock on the dsv
that he was arrested he as going to sign a
formal acknowledgment of the national in
deDtedness TO us. He was Kidnapped at half
past by the Chilians to prevent him from
doing that. Within the last thirty days a
high Chilian tunctionary has admitted that
our claim gives them more anxiety than
any other feature of the situation.
But cannot say much upon such points as
these, as 1t would be a betrayal of State
secrets. The demands of the company
have been served upon both Chill and Per-;
ana onr claim is also fled with tb~ c., =,
department. Il Is q feFtODs.. thi,o2 o'aoT 9or
Fefu TO nave creditor 20 the Par1visn % ion
torv how ~ ~. N'' does not take her terri
resaaI.~N' cause she would then become
sole to US under our lien. In fact,
I URlli is already in debt TO us for whatever
guanO she has removed from Peruvian de-
posts since 1841. II Chilli seizes our
property or refuses US access to it, she be-
comes liable to US for the whole of it,"
"What court can you sue in?"
"We'll find the court. II Chilli dares to
say that American citizens shall not take
possession of their own property, we can
| wait serenelY and see what the American
people will say"
The general merits of the company's title
Mr. Shipherd declares, have been examined
and approved by ex-SecretarY Boutwell,
Senator Blair, ex Senators Crsgin, Eaton
and Christlancy, Collector Robertson, and
eX-Secretary Thompson. The demands oi
the company have been served upon the
Peruvian and Gillian Ministers at Washing
ton by its counsel, eX-Secretary George &.
Boutwell,. The claim was fled with the
State Department on october 1lth.
The projects Of the company surpass the
most gigantic schemes of Col. Mulberry
Sellers. Among the collateral enterprises
enumerated by Mr.. Shipherd is the improve
ment Of the Amazon and the construction
of two canals, which will connect the Ori
noco with the Plata river, so that American
shipmasters can sail through the heart OF
the continent to Buenos Ayres. AS to ac-
tual cash in hand, Mr.. Shipherd refuses
information. He says that there are now
between fifty and sixty stockholders, that
the Incorporation OF the company is com
plete within the requirements of the Geor-
gia charter, and that they do not need to
incorporate under the laws of New York.