The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-03

the land. General Dan Sicles friend of McGarra-
han during his visits TO Washington during the war,
ward as to whether after President Lincoln after
inquiry, decided the grant to be genuine the patent
trampcd Washington pressing his claim. Many promi.
nent interested. First it passed branch
was in 1892 Finally it succeeded in passing both
branches of congress. Just McGarrahnn about
veto. From that day McGarrahan began TO fail He
died Sled In poverty IN Providence hospital of broken
who thought he had good claim.
A MOTHER famous claim with tragic ending was
that of the late John Fl, Piat of Cincinnati who
also died in debtors prison in Washington in 1852 of
broken heart Piatt, IN 1914, entered into contract
win the secretary Of TO furnish rations for the
northWeSern army at every place where troops might
be marched, stationed recruited in Ohio Kentucky
and Michigan territory then all in northwest ter
rltory, for year He supplied the rations al De
troit, Fort Wayne, Chicago and Mchilmackinac He
was to render his account every three months He en-
was then good. But when he began delivering the
rations the funds in the treasury were low; it was
the capture of Washington by the British in the lao
summer of 1914. and the American treasury became
bankrupt, lis notes remained in creditors hands mn
paid, confidence in its securities vanished and New
York banks stopped specie payment. All wholesome
flooded with irredeemabe and deprecated paper
money, Even this bank paper could not he procured
at par for government securities and the treasury
notes furnished Patt remained useless in his hands
Prices of provisions to cXtrayagant figures The
price or whisky, constituent part of the army ration
IN 1914, was raised by excise of twenty cents
gallon by act of congress Piatt issued ratious valued
at 269o00 but the government paid him only SlO6 600
In deprecated paper, instead of paying him in gold
and silver . e.
In this crisis Piatt considered the contract with
Uncle Sam forfeited. and declared to Monroe then
secretary OF war Monroe admitted Piatt s right to
rsnqush tho contract but the army needed grub and
Monroe appealed to Patt patriot - to desert
the country in the day of trial, but go on and fur
nish the army with supplies ''under nny circum
stances" assuring full ndemnfication. Under these
assurances Piatt kept the army well fed on the west
ern frontier in midwinter. He finally got S4s 600 in
$50. It avalled little He a crushed and broken
man. His mental energies exhausted his health
destroyed. his fortune ruined Large debts incurred
IN saving the army by rationipg il pressed heavily
lie visited Washington TO press his claim in congress
for $l3 900 Some of his creditors had him arrested
there for debt. and he died while in the marshal.s
custody in 1892.
The claim pressed for twenty-five YEA rs by his
heirs and IN 1865 the court of claims gave Judgment
IN their favor Ten years later, in the seventies the
supreme court affirmed that Judgment and his heirs
finally got the money His claim was lust one. lis
story one of the most pathetic in the history of claims
against the government.
THERE many freak claims pressed One is that
of Harrison Wagner of Maryland known as the
6 eternal Itigant," who wanted reimbursement for
$456Qo for alleged destruction Of his stock of chemical