Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-02
ENDOF THEBLAISDELL CASE
A SUIT WHICH INVOLVED OVER
SIXTY MILLION DOLLARS.
The Government Was Sued for A1leE-
ed COnfiscatiOn of Pacific Rail-
road Bonds.

One of the largest SultS ever instituted
against the government has been dismiss
ed by the Court of Claims The case was
commented on throughout the United
States as the "Biaisdell case and was
brought in 1893 by Leonard C. Blaisdell. as
attorney in fact for the heirs of Charles
Durkee, and subsequently John A Kuy-
kendall was substituted as administrator.
The amount involved in this case was. S64.-
G2;.312. claimed to be due the heirs of
Charles Durkee of Kenosha, Wis, for GER
tain first mortgage bonds of the Union and
Central Pacific railroad companies. amount
ing to the figures given, that 1t was alleg-
ed came into the possession of Durkee
while territorial governor of Utah in 1863.
1t was also alleged that these bonds,
through some unknown means. were SUB
sequently deposited in the United States
treasury. to be there held in trust for the
owner and that the government obtained
possession and collected the principal and
interest thereon. but never accounted for
any part of the same to Durkee OF MS rep
reScntativeS.
notwithstanding the fact that this claim
has been pending in the Court of Claims
for number of years. no testimony OF any
tangible character to support 1t has been
presented. Blaisdell testified that in 1854
he was in the office of the controller OF
the treasury attending meeting, at Wnlch
were present the Secretary of the Treas
y.
of the Interior and the Attorney General
and that at this meeting the Secretary OF
the Treasury solemnly proclaimed that his
department held these bonds. Blaisdell
also testified that these bonds were lying
on the desk before the Secretary of the
Treasury.
Remarkable Lack of Evidence.
No proof has ever been produced TO show
when and where Durkee became possessed
of bonds of such immense value, nor the
circumstances under which they were de-
posted in the United States treasury nor
was any explanation offered for the al
legged fact of the retention of the same by
the Treasury Department and its refusal
TO account therefor. That such a large
amount OF bonds belonging to a private III
dividual should come into the possession
of the government in so mysterious q man
ner that the closest friends OF Durkee' VINO
at his request. attended to his affairs dur
ing his illness. which preceded his death.
never heard him mention these alleged
bonds is all the more remarkable. AS
matter of fact. the governments tesu-
munv shows that his entire fortune conf
priSed certain investments in titan amount
ing to about S!o.nD. and to cap the climax
in making his will short time before his
death Durkee made no alluslon TO bonds
of any kind.
Patience at Last Exhausted.
Nothing but the magnitude of the claim
its representatives insisted that In time
satisfactory proofs would be submitted on
their part have saved the case from dis
missal long before this. But finally the pa
thence of l.. A. Praat, assistant attorney
general became exhausted, especially as
it became apparent that the pendency of
the claim in court was being made a pre-
text by its Representatives for obtaining
money in various parts of the country
for the alleged purpose Of carrying on the
prosecution of the case. The method
adopted was to give contracts or agree
ments for payn ent of a large amount of
the Judgment when it should be obtained
i'm consideration of a comparatively small
sum Agreements of this character ag-
grcgating over S1JN0.0o0 have from time
10 time been filed with the papers in the
case not to mention similar agreements
not yet filed.
As a specimen, one agreement made my
Blaisdcil was for the payment of S1TDHO
in consideration of $500. Another case he
contracts to pay SS,ooonG0 in consideration
of $1,000. Blaisdcll, indeed, seems to have
beer extremely Industrious in thus farm
ing out a judgment not then rendered and
tc have employed numerous agents for the
purpose. HIS expectations as to the
amount of this judgment were extremely
roscate, as he sets il down in his agree
ments at the snug sum of S25'i,n0,OO.
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