Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-05-03

that this land was sea marsh sub
ject to tidal overflow. These two
certificates were made on July ~.
1909, and on the same day M.
Vaughn and B. F. Winch made Aft
davits before the Register of the
Land Office that this land was
marsh land subject to overflow. and
that If had no timber on il ,(~and that
no timber grows on said land').
There is also on file in the land
office, affidavits of Francis T. Foote
and Paulin Manceaux, of date March
~, 1902, that this land was marsh
land subject to overflow, land that
no timber grows on said land" At
tached to these affidavits is a GER
tiiicate TO Simonet Leblanc, clerk of
court OF the Parish of Vermilion. in
which he certifies that he had inter
rogated the witnesses, that they were
well-known to him to be ereditable
and competent, and he believed the
affidavits to be true.
1t will thus be seen that not only
did the selections and approvals TO
the State show that this was land.
but the affidavits of four reputable
citizens, the certificate of a deputy
United States Surveyor, and the as
SCISSOR of the parish in which the land
was located, showed the same thing.
The land was in wild country, had
nevr been staked out by surveyors;
had never been over it, and knew
Il only from information gathered
from plats, so how was to know
whether It was covered with water
at all times or only with water some
times or posses other information
which has been the result only of
subsequent developments.
When ] made this application, I
l~Slieved then. derived from the in
formation gathered from plats, from
these affidavits and from the selec-
tons and approvals in the Land Of,
zee that I was purct asing marsh
and You state that there is now
pending law suit to decide whether
this land is. at the bottom of a lake
or not, and therefore, according to
your own statement, it is a matter
to be settled by the courts as 10
whether your own statement is true
or not
You also charge that applied for
this land on July II, 1902, after tire
aw raising the price of these lands
was signed by the Governor, was
filed in my office for PRONUNCIATION.
and that held back the promulga-
ton of the bill until such time as I
Tiled my applications for the land.
That Charge is falsehood. The
application for the land was filed
by me on July 2, 1902, and the money
was on that date paid bv me to the
Register of the Land Office.
Ills IS conspicuously shown in the
handwriting of James NJ. Smith,
Register of the Land Office, by
memorandum on the back of the af-
idavit published by you which mem
orandum reads as follows
See same application by him of
July 2, 1902, and d~1osit to cover"
Ibis shows beyond any question
that ! applied for the land not only
before the act was filed in my Of
ice for PRONUNCIATION. but even be-
fore the Legislature had passed it
and before | had any knowledge OF
It's contents.
You also publish statement of
the same Smith, who was Register
Of the Land Office, when / applied
for these lands and he declares that
in his opinion that my purchase of
the lands at the time ] did was NOR
ally wrong. He was then Register
Of the Land Office. sworn to do his
duty as such, and at that time, though
he knew the facts neither by official
deed or personal word, did he SO
Express himself If he thinks II
wrong now as a private citizen. he
should have thought it wrong then
as public officer.
What his political affiliations
were then and what they are today
Il well-known to you as well as me,
and you better than know through |
whose eyes he looks when he judges |
my conduct.
This letter is addressed to you per- |
sonaily because | consider the at
tacks upon me to emanate from you;
! am willing to submit our differences
to the people of the State on the
public records that we both have
made. Yours very truly,
JOHN T. MICHEL.