The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-03-29
MGARRAHAN'S CLAIM.
Something About an Old and Per-
sistent Nuisance
As Seen Through the Glasses of a
Special Correspondent
Affairs at the Nations
Capital.

NEW York, Mar n 29-"Gath7 SAYS, with
reference 20 the McGarrahan claim, recently
brought into prominence in the Keifer- Boyn-
ton scandal: have to say that no greater
nuisance ever lay around congress than
this same McGarrahan case. It was the
plague Of my life for years when
( ived in Washington No man could
Express an opinion one way or the other
tbout it, but he was Immediately in hot
water. It ought to be made a rule of CON
Eress to expel member Wno brings one side
u the other Of this case forward About
isG; or 1868, when first settled in Washing
ton as a correspondent, making the usual
mistakes Of an amateur there, lobbyist,
who made himself agreeable TO me, pointed
out two men one day as very worthy, but
disappointed claimants. One was Blanton
| Duncan, of Kentucky, and the other Nectar
rahan.
wrote rather pathetic article on claim
ants in congress, instancing these two men.
Immediately Elihu Washburne said to me,
| w no has been stuffing YOU on the McGarra-
! han case3" He then said that it was great
fraud, etc. Undertaking to get right on the
matter, as Washburne was influential with
| my employers, fell foul Of Jim Wilson, now
/ United States senator who was on the other
side. In short, the McGarrahan claim,
! which began in my childhood. viii continue
to be a nuisance around congress to the end
( Of days. The claim amounts to this: \ land
clerk in the Mexican state Of California sold
( to McGarTahan, who kept a saloon or gro
/ Gerry, or something of that kind, patent for
a piece Of land indefinitely located.
1t has been said that the sum Of money
PAID for the patent was 81, 100, and that it
represented bar-biu. About that time
/ there was great quicksilver case in Califor-
MIA called the New Almalen mine, and after
a very costly litigation certain claimants for
this property got possession Of it I'M
Ter the finding of court This
stimulated other claimants to look
after valuable property. \ second
mine, called the New Ilria mine, was de-
veloped in another place, and this patent Nc
GarraL7n has was flpatad over this property.
Tie miners Gii not say that they had any
patent for that land. but claimed it under
the general mining laws. McGagTahan and
his Mexican associate took the case into court,
and the law proceeding were often scandal
OILS concerning it, as the ju lres in those days
were not above having an iutarestiu the suits
before them.
Finally, the posSessors OF sqHatTers obtained
the verdict Of the courts in their favor in tie
United States district courts, and, finally in
tie supreme court Of the United States
&cGau@han then came to Washington City,
aud De- tool this CAIN to New York ami cap
i.aIzei il, AM Esel the shares around Wash
. in-tou a. make friends. - hire lawyers and
. To Fay lis expenses. The mine had meantime
, developed into something consi 3crabe,
ana under combination made between
America and Europe, the price Of quick
silver vas arg.Gcialiy raised. The profits Of
this a.iua made 1he contest FOR it mere sg3ir-
tied. Congress ;tSsll was an unfit body to
araitra-a on se.a Il question. wh!ch properly
belonged 70 ta= courts Of justice, aud Nc
GaaT2i.gu's address there brought on the
a.ier paEt from California, who success
. laLly fought him both in congress and in the
department. OF interior and tn, attorney
generals 1i,t,-