The herald., 1894-10-25

thereto, and l returned to Portland ant
was served by Wells, Whalley, Fech
heimer and Page. / appeared in court
set up in substance the same answer a.
the Neffs, and further that the land wa
about to become OF great value; that i
could be surveyed. mapped, plated ant
divided to the advantage and benefit O
all the parties and of the defendants
and that such mapping and dividing
would greatly benefit all the parties
thereto, and asked that my portion be
set aside to myself. and the portion be-
longing to the Whailey, Fechheimer
Page and Wells be disposed of as they
pleased. BY consent OF the Neffs and
the other parties in'open court juds-
ment and decree was entered partition
ing the land, and commissioners were
appointed for that purpose.
Subsequently,, how l know not. Sidney
Dell, another attorney. became the ad-
wiser of the Nefs, and got contract
from them for contingent interest in
what he might be able to recover from
mo and others. He threatened to insti-
tute proceedings for the purpose OF set
ting aside the deed OF 1878. which had
then stood for five years. l was called to
this attorneys Office and shown a copy
of the claimed answer they desired to
file. and then for the first time it was
charged thatI had squsndsred the estate
OF the children, although the records
showed that had been discharged as
the guardian OF Nancy's estate eight
years before, and / had settled with
George and had his receipt. 1t also ,was
charged that had wronged Nancy.
THE NEFFs' INFAMOUS CONDUCT.
Immediately went to Judge Wood.
ward, whom l knew to be an honorable
man, and brought him there to the con-
ference between the parties. was nat-
urally outraged and indignant.
notified the Neffs that their con-
duct was infamous, that their
willingness to besmirch their own
blood for a few acres OF land was
abominable. and that their attack upon
myself, who had been friend of the
family for years, was as despiceble
ss it WAS ungrateful, and notified
them that | wanted to terminate all re-
lations and interests between uH-that
| would have nothing further to do with
them, that l desired to have their life
interest in the land computed and deed
to them, that l wanted hy interest in
the land separate and by myself, inde.
pendent Of any claims by them whatso-
ever upon it. After long conference
this was agreed to. and they decided to
me In my own right 80 acres of the land
and received from me deed for all in
excess OF that. being about from 15 to
10 acres. then left. They then filed
their answer in the case, charging Wells,
Whalley and myself with fraud, and
their children and myself with coercing
them into the execution OF the deed,
and asking that the judgment entered
be opened for the purpose OF trying this
matter. l myself filed an answer and
petition in the court ct once, asking
the court to set aside the judgment
in my favor, and that the mat
ter charged in their answer and
petition be investigated and my good
faith, so that on full and fair trial the
matters might be investigated and the
alleged conspiracy and combination be-
tween their children and Reed and Cor
nell and Wells, none of the three last
named of whom had ever met before
this trip, be investigated and passed
upon by the court, and that the falsity
of the allegations OF such proposed Gn'
swer rejecting upon me might be estab-
lished. On my petition the judgment
was set aside and trial Of the matter had
before referee. His findings of fact
were confirmed by the circuit court,
which findings were in my favor, as
they will chow. An appeal was taken
to the supreme court OF the state OF
Oregon, and the decision in that case is
to be found in the Fourteenth Oregon,
page 66. The decision of the lower court
was affirmed.
The Neffs also filed complaint against
me, the one as published, and the mat
ter was transferred to the United States
circuit court for trial on my motion, and
they thereafter voluntarily dismissed
the same and paid the costs thereof.
The articles published do not give my
petition. They misstats the facts. My
deposition was fully taken in the trial
of this case, and my exhibits and papers
were introduced in Justification OF my
action, In them, under oath, | denied
the matters set up in the article in the
evening paper. My wife and l had al
ways considered George and Nancy as we
would our own brother and sister, and
had treated them as such, and when-
ever we were in Oregon we visited them
at their home. | WAS not present at
that trial. | was in congress in the dis
charge of my duties. confided the en-
tire case to my LAWYERS, and know but
little OF come of the evidence. Much OF
it on the part of the Neffs was abso-
lutely absurd and false. as was shown
on the trial, and as the referee found.
All OF it that in any way called in qdes-
tion my integrity and fair dealing was
false. My best answer to what has
been published would be the publca-
ton of the whole record of the matter.