Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-21
MusTY OLD CLAIMS.
the Numerous Progeny Of the Ship
Owners Despoiled by the French.

Owners DespoiIed by the French.
cLA1Ms-HowsrHE EVIDENCE WAS COLLECTED
AND HELD ToGETHER-CLAIMS WHICH REST
ON FAMILY TRADITIoN-How THEY WILL BE
| ADJUDIcATED, &c.
There is q sort of romance attached to the old
french spoliation claims, which are about to
| De settled in the courts through the action of
Congress at its last session. From nearly q
hundred years ago these claims have come
down as heirlooms to claim the attention and
tempt the hopes OF the descepdants Of the own
ers of the Inflated ships that fell into the hands
OF the French who, by the orders of the great
Napoleon, prayed upon our commerce in retail
alton for our disregard of treaty obligations
from the comparatively few ship-owners, who
spent the remainder of their lives in the vain
effort to recover the value of their lost prop
| erty, the list of claimants BY descent has so
multiplied that they are scattered all over the
country. Each generation has had its trial at
the claims. and many have spent their lives in
through the ribs of the sunken ships of their
iorefathers. The many almost successful efforts
Kept them rom sinking ike ike many other hopes
neneath the pressure of accommodating years
Inc favorable reports of committees. which
one since 1902, has kept them alive, and the
failure each time being so near success, only
sHdea tresh interest to them and inspired the
mentioned in wills, talked Ofby fresides, until
II has become matter of family pride in some
OF the old coast towns in New England and old
southern ports to have French spoliation
claim; In some cases even II has been consid-
thing of his time vei to an attempt 70 make the
Claims good.
| MANY RoMANCEs
have revolved around these claims, and they
have been courted until they have become
| oIN,,f
hundred of them, but the records in
many cases have been lost, and whole families
have died out and passed away together with
the records of their claims. Thus the number
the % @ for
number of claimants is increased ten fold. In
some eases where the claim was pretty consid-
cradle there are now so many heirs to it that
when divided among them the share of each
would be so little that it would not be worth
working for For one claim of 81 900 there are
many cases where the original amount is less
| ana there are many more for 1t to be divided
among am a One lady describing the situation of
father, the original claimant, had nine children,
her grandfather had ten, and she believes, as it
ran IN the family, each OF the rest did as well.
In great many cases the records have been
| lost, ana there remain only family tradition
hh p9 which to base the claim, and nearly every
| time thinks he must have a claim somewhere.
La the early history Of the claims each claimant
to have gone to the trouble and expense of en-
! ploy1ng an attorney or agent; but as the claims
by in esgar be rs uropp o oH
any systematic effort to get the claims recog-
| n1zed by Congress was
MR.. JAMES H. CAUSTEN.
| Having spent much time in looking up the
proofs Of his own family claim, he became SO
interested in the subject that he went into the
whole question, and got the history and evil
dence in nearly every claim. He became fasci-
mated In the research, and devoted his life to
It, collecting much valuable information and
Keeping the matter before Congress- Finally,
as other claimants gave up the struggle, the
idea occurred to him to put to use the Informal
tom ne had possessed himself OF, and in 1916
ton claims having his Office where Anglim's
bookstore now stands He then took charge of
| 500 OF the seveteen hundred claims, and de-
death in 1874. He was very intimately asso-
eiated with all the great men of his day, and
Daniel Webster was his friend, and was very
much interested in the matter, having, it is
books w sbia5ed he h on wr sbe
One of these, volume OF over a hundred pages
gives history Of the seizures of the vessels by
of the legal questions The other, which con
tains hundred and forty pages, discusses the
erect OF the proceedings under the treaty of
prior to 1901. The only copies of the books
believed to be extant-two very musty old
palupuleIS, Out lnValuaDie-are In the posses
sion of MIR. W. E. Earle, Mr.. Causten's successor
Mr.. Causten's zeal carried him to the greatest
extremes in following up the evidence of the
got valuable information and after the revolu-
ton OF lS4S, when the public buildings at Paris
tered broadcast, he sent bis son to Paris to
search all
THE OLD JUNK SHOPS
and "Peter Funk" establishments for informa-
ton concerning the claims. In this way he
learned many important facts and got possess
sion of valuable documents relating to the
cases. He bought all that were purchasable,
and those the dealers would not sell he had
attached and restored to the public archives.
Causten was famous tor his work in the cases.
In 1858 Senator John NJ. Clayton wrote to him:
"The session Of Congress having now closed and
being about to return home, it occurs to me that
ought to leave behind me some record of my
agent of the claimants for spoliations commit
ted by the French prior to the convention of
1900. The bill for their relief has again been
defeated by the Executive veto, most unjustly
applied" The bill was passed by two Con-
crosses and vetoed, first by Polk, then by
claims against the government has been estab-
lished, and perhaps the claimants may choose
to submit their demands to the decision of that
will, ere long, be pads' ~''''1-'O
Shaving been faithful friend of these unfor-
century, and witnessed for a long period Your ar
indc iatigable ZEAL and the distinguished abil-
tty with which you have sustained them on all
occasions, perhaps at some future day, when
they shall receive their money, they may pay
some regard to my voluntary testimony as to
them. This think due from me to you now,
as am not in good health, and possibly NAV
never return to Congress to 6efr,snd them any
He further on refers to the fact that Mr.. Caus-
ten spent months in ransacking the mouldy
correspondence in the State department., select
ing the documents transmitted to the Senate
by Mr.. Clay in obedience to the resolution Of
the Senate adopted in 1924, which filled
large octave volume, and which converted the
Senator to the claims. He refers also to the fact
that Mr.. Webster, latter he had long toiled for
the claimants" gave the thing up In despair
and refused to act as chairman of the commit.
tee appointed in 1S46 to report on the claims
the writer having to serve In his stead. Chief
Justice Marshalls opinion in favor of the bill is
referred TO in the letter ALSO Just thirty years
passed after the writing of this letter before the
bill for the settlement of these claims finally
became a law, a few months since.
VALUABLE OLD RECORDS.
After Mr. Causten's death Messrs Earle and
Picket succeeded to the agency and Mr.. Earle
has in his possession all the old documents some
OF which are very curious. Among others he
has Mr.. Caustens list Of the 100 vessels and
cargoes lost, showing names Of captains, the
ports from which they sailed and the names of
the owners. Another book, the only two copies
OF which extant they have, and which he SAYS
they would not sell for 1000, is ian address to
the people Of the United States" written by
Mr.. Mcclure, q member of the board of Ameri-
can commits sioners at Paris, under treaty Of
1908. The book was written to justify the &C
rh in fhn troy hntxr