The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-04-08
E. Chandler as secretary of the navy. VIM. II.
Hunt, of Louisiana, was at the same time sent
| in as minister Ia Russia.
DEATH OF GEN. HURLBUT.

Tidngs come from Lima, Peru, of the death
IN that city, on Tuesday of last week, OF
Stephen A. Hurbut, American Minister to
Peru. He was a native OF Charleston, 5. C.,
and had served as adjutant Of q South Caro-
! lima regiment in the Seminole war. In 1915
he came to Illinois, settling mt Belvidere
! Boone county, where he engaged III the prac-
ticc of law He was commissioned brida
der in the war of the rebellion in 1861, took
part III the battles of Shiloh and Cornth, and
| for "A short time was in command at New Or
| leans. He had served several terms IN the ii.
linois Legislature and one term in Congress
He was minister to the United States of Col
umbIa during President Grants administra-
ton and was appointed minister to Lima by
President Garfield but was about to return on
leave of absence to appear before the congrcs-
sional committee investigating affairs con
nccted with his mission-an investigation
that will necessarily be shorn of It's most I'm.
portant rcsuus by his unfortunate death. 1t
will be remembered that Gen. Fitzpatrick,
minister to Chill, and largely mixed up with
the same dubious diplomacy, died alike sud
denly few months ago, on the eve Of his de-
parture tor home to give an account of his
stewardship
The death of Mr. lIurlbut just at this time
is public calamity. The country awaited
with positive tension his exposition before the
congressional committee of the Chili-Peruvan
diplomatic muddle cf whose dark passages he
alone could give satisfactory calculation. He
did the impudent pretender ShIpherd one good
turn, however, by completely demolishing the
Ccchet claim, upon which he had built up his
Peruvian company on the pretense of its I'M
Questionable validity. In a communication
to the state department dated as late as Febru'
airy ID, 1882, Mr.. llurlbut shows that Cochet
was French subject, and as such lived and
died that his supposed heir was an ilegiti-
mate son, and could not therefore inherit after
him; but whatever the nature Of the COChet
clam otherwise, it was purely p French claim
ana entitled to no protection on the part OF the
United States; that the claim, however, never
had any legitimate foundation as there never
was any such law of Peru giving "a third to
the discoverer" as that upon which the claim
is supposed to be founded; that Cochet him
self in his lifetime never made any such clam !;
and finally that when, after his death, the claim
was made and adiudicated by the Peruvian
government, the decision was adverse to 1t.
So far so good But as most of these Oh
iections apply with equal force to the Lam
dreau claim, what the country wanted Mr..
Hurlbut to explain was how he and Blame
came to lay so much stress on that CLAIM.
threatening Chill with armed interference by
the United States unless that claim was recog-
nized, ignoring at the same time Il perfectly
legitimate clam of the French Credit Indus
triel, the owners of which, through NJ. Grevy,
President of the French Republic, offered to
make all necessary money advances to enable
Peru to conclude an equitable peace with Chill
without loss of any of Its territory, and asked
the friendly offices of the United States to
bring Peru aud Chill together on that honor,
able basis.