The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-02-01
FRAUDULENT CLAIMS
The True Story Of the We'll and
La Abra Indemnities.
HOW MEXICO WAS DEFRAUDEp,

Our Government Collected S7oo,ooo
for a Worthless Mine and $3.50.
600 for Muies, Wagons and Cot
ton That Never Existed-The Money
win Doubtless be Returned;
WASHINGTON, Feb. IA very inter.
esting week is promised in the proceed
fngs OF the senate At o'clock this
afternoon vote will be taken on the
We'll and La Abra claims bill, and that
much discussed measure, which has been
the unfinished business for two weeks,
will be thankfully disposed of. The
names of these cases are probably moro
familiar than the facts. Circumstances
have been disclosed In the discussion
which, IL woven into a work of fiction.
would be deemed almost too extraya.
giant for belief. The La Abra case had
for its basis a silver mine in Mexico.
owned and worked by a company hay
ing its headquarters in New York. Ii
was charged and proved before the Mex
can commission by a continuous chain
of atlidavits that during the troubles
which attended the overthrow of the
Maximilian government the Mexican
authorities arrested the superintendent
OF the mine, drove out his American as
slstants, and took forcihle possession of
the property. 1t wis satisfactorily
shown that the profits of the mine were
about 81 900 900 a year, and that at least
81 600, 600 in pay ore was lying OH tho
dump when the Mexicans took possess
sion. On this evidence, which was then
unrefuted, Sir Edward Thornton the
British ambassador to the United States,
who acted as umpire, gave Judgement
against Mexico for $3.50, 900, and Mexico
paid the money to our state department..
The Plot Exposed.
When about a quarter of this money
had been distributed somebody who did
not think he was getting his full share
obtained possession of the letter press
copybooks of the company kept at the
mine, and sold them to tho Mexican
government. These cYlclusively showed
that the mine had never been seized at
all, but that it had been voluntarily
abandoned because the ore was found to
be so valueless that it did not begin to
pay the cost for smelling. The whole
claim was shown to be fabrication of
the ex-superintendent. who is now dead,
inspired by the establishment of the
mixed commission to consider claims
of American and Mexican citizens
against tho governments of the two
countries arising out of the war.
Wells Fraudulent Claim.
The We'll claim had not even as much
foundation as this. 1t was based on the
allegation that man named Benjamin
We'll, who lived in New Orleans, and
was engaged in running cotton through
Mexico during the war, had lost a heavy
mule train and 700 bales Of cotton at the
time when cotton was worth nearly
forty cents pound by their being cap
tured and taken possession of by the
Mexican Liberal forces. The proofs
were complete. Sir Edward Thornton
awarded him about $3.50, 900 in colnpen-
sation for his loss. We'll was mixed up
in business with number Of other firms
scattered over the south, who had agreed
to pool their issues. Here again q
quarrel over the disposition of the pro-
ceeds caused an examination TO be made
Of the books and letters of these firms,
and the fact was established that neither
mules, wagons nor cotton had ever had
any existence except in the minds of the
men who supplied the testimony on
which the award WIS made.
The sehemers Got Nothing,
Seven hundred thousand dollars of the
amount thus obtained in these two cases
remains undistributed, special deposit
in gold in the subtreasury in New
York Four successive presidents have
told congress that the national honor
demands that this money should be re-
funded to Mexico, but no action has vet
been had. The bill before the senate
provides for suit to be brought before
the court Of claims to declare the fraud
ulent character of the claiins SO that
the unexpended money can be paid
back to Mexico. The indications are
that it will pass the senate by nearly
unanimous vote. Its progress in the
house will be watched with interest.
A curious fact stated by Senator Nor
gan in the debate was that only very
few hundred dollars of the quarter of a
million distributed under the award has
reached the widow of We'll or the stock
holders in the La Abra Mining company.
The rest has been absorbed by claim
agents and attorneys.