Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-27
.BeSure You re Right
Before You Settle on Wild
Western Lands.
THE DIES MONIES RIVER SETTLERS

Now Know the Value of the Old Saw
About All the Sauatters and Others
"Fired" from Their Holdmgs-A Chance
for a Possible scrimmage with the Me-
Gonigle BrOthers-Brief Statement of the
Origin of the Trouble.
FORT DODGE La, Nov. 27.-For some
time past the United States marshal has
been serving writs of ejectment on the set
lers on the lands known as the "Des Moines
river lands and in pursuance of said writs
svicting the settlers when they did not go of
their own accord. In executing these writs
those who insisted upon staying had their
household goods put out in the road, and
their houses nailed up against their re-en-
trance There have been curses, not loud
but Deep all along the line; but now the
trouble is about over for the settlers seem to
have given up the light against such odds as
there were against them.
But five settlers on the Smell list remain TO
be elected, and writs were expected from
Des MONIES yesterday morning. Marshal
Holbrook and posse were in readiness for an
early start on thirty-mie drive into Ham,
ilton county, the objective point being the
residence of the McGonigle boys, who have
repeatedly sworn to adopt the shotgun pol
icy, and there were good prospects of a
scrimmage, but the early train brought no
writs. Meantime two of the other five set
tiers sent word to the city that they would
come in and settle No writs arrived on a
later train, and at noon the proposed raid
was abandoned Nj Smell went to Des
Moines last night, but the writs could not be
received in time to serve before Wednesday
or Thursday, and ere that it is believed that
the three remaining squatters will surren-
der on the best terms they can make. The
river land war is practically ended.
| The origin of the extended fight is away
back in ls46, when the United States govern
ment granted TO the territory of Iowa, for
the purpose of improving the Des Moines
river, alternate sections of lands on either
| side of that river. A board of public works
was organized and much of this land was
| sold. After a time it became evident that the
work of river Improvement could not be
/ successfully carried on by the state, and q
| commission was appointed to go to New
York, Chicago, and st. Louis and endeavor
to get capitalists interested, but the plan
! failed Then New York man named Riley
/ came on and made a contract with the state
| to prosecute the improvement, and got
| Litchfield and others to JOIN him The re-
| suit was the organization of the Des Moine'
! Navigation & Railroad company, which en-
tered into a contract TO improve the De.
! Moines river from its mouth to Raccoon
fork, or the city of Des Moines, distance Of
/ 200 miles.
Tna xrnrl-a1 mat
decision was made by the secretary of tbs
interior to the effect that the grant extended
only from the mouth of the Des Mones rivel
to Rsccoon fork, and 81, go acres included
in those limits were ceded to the state. Th,
navigation company then refused to do any
more work, declaring that what it had dom
was worth all the land coded, and finally tht
company turned over to the state its plant
and the state turned over all the cede,
lands
A good many conflicting decisions an,
rulings were then made, and finally OF
March 8, 1861, congress passed a joint reso
luton releasing to the state OF Iowa its It'll
to ell lands which had been improperly Ger
titled, which action covered the 30, zoe acre
of river land above Raccoon fork Ihi
JOINT resolution gave the navigation com
pany and its grantees their title.
In the meantime Commissioner Wilson, @
the general land Office, had permitted a,nun
of persons to pre-empt portions of rive
lands as government lands, and in perhap
half d zen Instances had issued patents t
the settlers This resulted in innumerabl
suits to settle the title, and in every cas-
where patent was involved the courts d.
cided the patent invalid
The state also claimed these lands unde
the school land grant, and issued patents o.
several tracts which We're claimed by th
navigation company. Suits in the Unite
States courts again upheld the title of tt
navigation company.
A bill directing the attorney general c
the United States to bring suit against tt
state Of Iowa TO set aside the titles derive
from the state to all river lands north of IL
!, Raccoon fork is now pending in congress
. and this formed the only hook for settler
hope until tie last legislature of the sta
passed un act releasing TO the general COVER
, ment all its titles to the lands in question
: The general government has not accept,
: and probably will not accept the tender, al
until it does The legislative action is me
buncombe, As no decisive action has Their
fore been taken the claimants are free to e
force their rights as they see fit, and th,
! have about done so