St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-01
How the Sleepy Greasers
We're Mulcted Out Of q
Million Dollars.
The Famous La Abra Claim
Based on Somebody's Mon
umental Ly ing.
How $250,0OO Was Awarded
for Cotton Which Never
Existed.
Contest Cases in the Senate
House Programme for
the Week.


esting week is promised in the proceed
ings Of the senate. At o'clock tomor-
row afternoon vote will be taken on
the We'll and La Abra CLAIMS bill, and
that measure. which has been the I'M
finished business for two weeks, will be
thankfully disposed of by those senators
who had begun to believe that the
length or time consumed in its delibera-
ton would surpass in length that con-
Sumed in discussing the Blair educa-
tioDal bill. The names of these cases
are probably more familiar than the
facts. Circumstances are disclosed in the
discussion which, if woven into a work
of fiction. would be deemed almost too
extravagant for belief. The La Abra
case had for its basis silver mine in
Mexico, owned and worked by a
company having its headquarters in
New York. 1t was charged and proved
before the Mexican commission by
continuous chain of affidavits that dur
ing the troubles which attended the
overthrow of the Macmillan govern
ment the Mexican authorities arrested
the superintendent of the mine, drove
out his American assistants, and took
forcible possession of the property. 1t
was satisfactorily shown that the profits
or the mine were about million dollars
a year, and that at least a million dol
lars IN pay ore was lying on the dump
When the MeXlcans took possession.
On this evidence, which was then un-
refuted, Sir Edward Thornton, the
British ambassador to the United States,
who acted as UmDirp pavp q
Judgment Against Mexico
for S750,000, and Mexico paid the money
to our state department. When about
quarter of this money had been dis
tributed, somebody. who did not think
he was getting his full, share, obtained
possession of the letter-preSS copy books
of the company kept at the mine and
sold them to the Mexican government.
These concluSiyely 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 paw
the cost of smelling. The whole claim
was shown to be fabrication Of the eX-
superintendent, who is now dead. in
spired by the establishments of the mixed
commission to consider claims of Amer
lean and Mexican citizens against the
governments of The two countries aris-
ing cut of the war. The We'll claim had
not even as much foundation as this. 1t
was made on the allegation that man
named Benjamin We'll, who lived i'm
New Orleans and was engaged in rum
ming cotton through Mexico during the
war. had lost heavy mule train and
700 bales of cotton, at the time when
cotton was worth nearly forty cents
pound, by their being captured and
taken possession of by the Mexican Lib
eral forces. The proofs were complete.
Sir Edward Thornton awarded him
about S230.000 in compensation 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 a quarrel over
tie disposition of the proceeds 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 ever had an exist
ence except in the minds OF the men
who supplied the testimony Oh which
the award was made. Seven hundred
thousand dollars of the amount thus
obtained in these two cases remains I'M
distributed in special deposit of gold
in the subtreasury in New York. -Four
successive presidents have told congress
that the national honor demands that
this money should be refunded to Mex
leo, but no action has yet been had.
The bill before the senate provides for
a. suit TO be brought before the
court of claims to declare the fraud
ulent character of the claims, so
that the uneXpended money can be
paid back to Mexico. The Indication
are that it will pass the senate by a
nearly unanimous vote. Its progress in
the house will be watched with inter-
est. A curious fact, stated by Senator
Morgan in the debate, is that only
very few hundred dollars of the
quarter of million distributed under
the award has reached the widow of
We'll or the stockholders in the La
Abra mining company. The rest has
been absorbed by claim agents and at
torneys.
Two Sensational Contests.
The most Interesting features of the
week will, in all probability, be a fight
against the adoption of the report of the
committee on privileges and elections
in favor of Senator Dubois in his con-
test with H. H. Claggett. 1t is expected
that the report will be presented Tues
day by Senator Teller, chairman of the
committee, and its immediate hearing
will be demanded. Senator Stewart
will lead the attack, arguing in favor of
giving the seat to Clagett, but, judging
from the position of the committee, it is
hardly probable that the report will not
be adopted. The Call-Davidson case
will also be acted on. 1t will be disposed
of rapidly, the committee on privi-
legeS and elections having reported
unanimously IN favor. of Senator
Call retaining his seat After these
cases are disposed of, Mr.. Paddock in
tends to ask the senate to take up as
continuing order his pure food bill.
substitute for the pure lard bill which
passed the house during last congress.
Senator Henderson proposes to bring
before the senate his plan for rearrang-
ing the official printing, which is not so
sweeping as the measure which the
house voted down last week Mr.. Hale's
reciprocity resolution and Mr.. Stewards
free coinage measure are on the table
subject TO call, and if taken up at any
time may bring on tariff or silver
debate.
The EIsnira Postoffice.
If the report of the committee on post
offices and post roads in favor of con-
firming the nomination of Mr.. Rathbun
to be postmaster at .Elmira, New York.
is presented. and there is every reason
TO suppose it will be, Senator David B.
Hill Will make his senatorial debut in
debate, but the country will not have
fair chance to judge how well he will do
1t, because it will occur in executive
session. Senator Hill will be joined in
his opposition to Mr.. Rathbun's con-
frmation by at least one Republican
senator. Mr.. Wolcott, of Colorado, who
has severely criticised in the public
prints the removal of Postmaster Flood
and the appointment of Mr. Rathbun to
fill the vacancy. But by far the most in
teresting event expected during theweek
will be the fight against the confirmation