The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-05-16

there was rush for the land Office.
1t was soon discovered that
Senator Sabin had all the
most valuable pine land, about
half the reservation, covered with
soldiers additional scrip. There
was a howl of ''fraud" from peo-
pie and press, and Senator Washburn
was blamed for what they called the
grand steal, when in fact he did not
get foot of land.
The writer took out the first fling
made by an actual settler, and al
though the local land Office did not
have any order to open, it reason
ably concluded that if senator could
scrip half of it a common settler could
have hundred and sixty acre tract.
By the next winter large majority of
the lands were covered with home
steads and prescriptions. During the
winter of 1888, everything being ready
to clinch the pine land deal, the bill
known as the Nelson bill was enacted.
The Nelson bill as it went from
the house was all right, but when it
reached the senate all but the enact
ing clause was stricken out (the
writer has a copy of the original be-
fore him as he writes) and the whole
bill metamorphosed to suit Senator
Sabin. But the principle line injected
into it was: "And nothing in this
act shall be construed to invalidate
any existing fling or entry, but any
such filing or entry shall be subject
to proof under the land laws now in
force" That cooked the goose. But
were the scrip entries made under the
Chandler decision to reinstate, as
was supposed, the old scrip filings?
Not one of them. The scrip that was
originally laid upon these lands,
(when the order canceling the entries
was made) was all taken up and used
on other lands fifteen years before,
and instead of this old scrip new
soldiers additional scrip was mostly
used. So the order as it read was
not carried out, but it served it's pur-
pose and covered all the valuable
lands as far as the pine timber went.
Being informed by the land officers
that entries could be made, I visited
that section during the fall of 1882
and made a circuit of the lake. I
found only two white settlers on its
shores, E. o. Garrison in Grow Wing
county, and Mr.. Nichols in Aitkin
county. During the winter of 1882
and 1883 I had several team loads of
lumber, provisions and tools taken
up to the point where l now reside,
and as soon as spring opened, with
James Lochren and Tim Davis to as
sist me, we erected a large log house.
We had been at work but few days
when the Indians began to make in
quiries as to our intentions. Of course
we informed them of the true state
homestead there. That seemed to be
the first information they had received
that the government had opened the
land to settlement, and the news flew
like wildfre. The second chief of the
Mile Laos band, Muh-eng-aunce, and
his band OF two hundred, claimed
this whole point, embracing the old
town Of Kathio. A general rattle of
tom-toms was soon heard calling
them together in council and several
hundred wild, gesticulating braves
we're gathered about forty rods from
where we were at work rolling up logs.
They kept coming from every direc-
ton and the longer they talked the
more excited they became. Finally
two of them who could speak English
came to us and wanted to see our
mus-sa-na-gi Filing papers) which {
showed them and explained their pur-
port. They then returned to the
council and suppose explained it to
the rest when pandemonium broke
loose at once. At this time I could
not understand any of the Chippewa
language but Lochren could, and a
delegation of Indians called on US
and informed US with no uncertain
signs and gesticulations that we must
march on wee-wip (quick), that they
we're not going to allow any white
man to build a wa-ki-a-gan (house)
on that land, that it was Chippewa
land, and if we did not go they would
ne-po (kill) us at once. Lochren de-
cided that if we did not want them to
60 into the hair raising business we
had better leave, which we did, load
ing up large bateau, which I had
brought up in the winter, with all the
provisions, tents and tools it would
carry. Davis and myself started
down tho 10 10 ubi1o T,oohrop ,ro,,+