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not have his certificate, but, not having but ten dollars, he paid the same to the said Henry H. Hall, and the said Henry H. Hall did write on his receipt that when the said affiant did pay the further sum of five dollars. And the affiant further says that, being without money to pay his bill or recross the river, the said Henry H. Hall did lend him one dollar, and entered on his receipt that there was still six dollars due on the same.

[L. S.]

ALEXANDER HILLIS.

The within affidavit subscribed and sworn to, this twenty-ninth day May, A. D. 1858.

B. F. SPAULDING,

Notary Public of Clayton County, Iowa.

Mr. Hillis is to pay me five dollars on this and receive his certificate of entry. H. H. HALL.

Received, December 26, 1857, of Alexander Hillis, fifty dollars, for the purpose of paying for his land on the reserve, forty acres.

JNO. B. BROWN.

I have loaned Hillis one dollar, and he now owes me six dollars. HALL.

Samuel C. Ralph, being duly sworn, states that he resides on the military reserve; has resided where he now does since October, 1856; has been three years on the reserve; was a pre-emptioner; did not secure a lot. Mr. Rice told him the lot he occupied was claimed by Mr. H. L. Dousman, and if there was any dispute about it he would refer it to the War Department, and not sell it. His lot was not surveyed, to the best of his knowledge, since he has been on it. Was at sale in December; saw there a map; the residence of each settler was not marked upon it. At first sale called for the map, and Mr. Rice handed it to him. The quarter quarter sections were not designated; it was a township map. Neighbors' Neighbors' names were not on it. Hall asked him, at December sale, if he was ready to pay, and answered he was. Hall said Dousman claimed it. The first notice. was given in May, when we were warned to be in readiness, with our proof and money. Mr. Rice said he would give due notice of the second sale, and $1 25 would be the price, or he would do all he could to have that price fixed. No particular time was fixed then for the second sale. Went on claim by consent of Graves, who had it before; was to pay him $100 for it; never relinquished; don't know where Graves is; ready to pay his demand, but have not paid. Dousman claims under a deed from Graves. Dousman did not tell him to go on the claim; Dousman did not show Graves' receipt. This land was not sold in May. Graves had left it two weeks when I went in. Rice referred him to Dousman, who alone could settle it. Claimed 200 acres; was willing to take 80 acres. Employed a lawyer to send

my case to War Department; have not heard from it. Dousman sued me for cutting off the timber.

S. C. RALPH.

Alexander McGregor, being duly sworn, states that he had resided at McGregor for about twelve years past, and about ten years previously at Prairie du Chien; knows the majority of the settlers in the military reserve by sight or name; knows nothing about the survey being made of the land; don't think it could be made without my knowing it, as I was part owner of a tract called Bazill Giard claim, No. 1. This said land was adjoining the said Fort Crawford reservation on the south, and extended from the river west six miles, and all timbered land, and no evidence of any survey was found during the entire line. I was frequently on the reserve, and, hunting for lines and corners, saw nothing to indicate a new survey, and have inquired of many of the settlers, and they all responded there was none made by H. Hall, or any other person, during the year 1857.

I was at the sale a part of the time, in December, when the settlers paid the $1 50 per acre, and the receipts given to them was for $1 25. They were notified in the first place that the price per acre would be $1 25, and after H. M. Rice and they were again notified by H. H. Hall that an additional 25 cents must be paid or they could not enter their land. No explanation was made to me why the extra 25 cents was taken by either H H. Hall or H. M. Rice at that time. Hall was acting as the agent of H. M. Rice, and so reported. Notice of sale was given about two days previous to the time fixed for the day of sale. Some two or three days had passed off before he arrived. There were some maps exhibited in the office, township plats made out very roughly, and some of the occupants' names were on, and others left off-S. C. Ralph and Solomon Wordsworth, those were actual settlers.

Wordsworth, I knew of his being a bona fide settler for at least four years, and has continued to reside thereon until the present time, and has made improvements on fractional lots 1, 2, and 3, in section No. 15, T. 95 N., R. 3 west, and has had an uninterupted possession of said lots ever since. Wordsworth was refused the privilege of entering his land, as he said, and I was present with Wordsworth, Ralph, Oley Nelson, D. C. Vansickle, and Birch E. Hutchinson, when Mr. Hutchinson made an application to Hon. H. M. Rice for Solomon Wordsworth for the fractional lots 1, 2, and 3, in section 15, T. 95 N., R. 3 west, and Mr. Rice stated where there were conflicting claimants they would be referred to the War Department, and handed back the applicatian to Mr. Hutchinson. I did not apply to Hall to purchase Wordsworth's assignment; did not know Wordsworth had assigned, and that application was forwarded to the War Department, as I was informed and believe.

Mr. Hutchinson made out an application for R. C. Ralph and forwarded to the War Department, and said he had written two letters and could not get any answer.

There was a general dissatisfaction at that time by the actual settlers as to the short notice, and the extra 25 cents per acre that was

extorted from each of them, and the excessive high rates of interest they had to pay; and some of the settlers that resided on their claim and found it marked to others residing out of the State, and have not resided in the State of Iowa for the last twenty years to my certain knowledge, and that is Hercules L. Dousman and B. W. Brisbois; they have resided for over twenty years at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. ALEXANDER MCGREGOR.

Mr. Rice presented the following statement, letters, and petition of the settlers of Fort Crawford reserve:

SENATE CHAMBER, June 8, 1858.

SIR: From my long residence at Prairie du Chien and at Fort Atkinson, and my intimate acquaintance with the circumstances of the settlement of the Fort Crawford reservation in Iowa, together with the numerous appeals I had received from the settlers thereon to secure or aid them in securing titles to their claims, I was last April induced to accept an appointment from the War Department as special agent to sell the said reservation. While disclaiming all intention of doing injustice to the government, I am free to confess that my only object in accepting the appointment was to aid the men who hal in good faith made their homes upon this land. I had no pecuniary interest in any part thereof. The sale in May, 1857, was, after due notice, conducted in a fair and open manner; over 300 persons were present; and I then and there informed all interested that I could not, under my instructions, sell any land claimed by actual settlers, and none claimed by them was sold. At that time I notified the settlers that I would do all in my power to procure their claims at the lowest price, and that they must have their money ready at any time to pay for the same, that I might receive instructions to sell within six weeks, and that, if so, I would give them ample notice so that they might be present. I recommended that they should have the land at $125 per acre, but as they would be saved all the expenses usually incurred by entry under the pre-emption laws, that they should pay the expenses of the sale. During the summer I was in constant correspondence with the settlers. I did not, until late in December last, receive instructions to sell, and in these instructions I was directed to sell, as I had recommended, at $1 25 per acre. I could put no other interpretation upon the instructions than that I should charge $1 25 per acre, and an amount sufficient to cover the expenses, which, after caretully making an estimate, I put at 25 cents per acre. I so informed the claimants and they all appeared satisfied. I did cause a survey to be made. I did know the name of each claimant, the date of his settlement, the amount of his improvement, and the quality of the soil. Every settler was on the ground himself or he was represented there. I did send an express to inform them of the time I would meet them; I did employ a large force to aid in making out their papers; I did pay all clerical and notarial fees, all expenses of

survey, making maps, &c.; I did not sell any land which I supposed to be in contest; I did not show any favoritism, but labored day and night to aid the claimants; I had no other object in view; I reported all the facts to the Secretary of War, stating that I had charged $10 per acre for the land. I have thus given a brief sketch of the transaction, knowing that my conduct will meet the approval of all honest men who are conversant with the facts, and of my own conscience. With great respect, your obedient servant,

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H. M FICE.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Washington, June 5, 1858.

SIR: In compliance with your verbal request that I would state to you the usual expenses attending the entry of land by pre-emption where the distance to be travelled to reach the land office is from 60 to 100 miles, I reply that the necessary expenses would vary from $25 to $100 in each case-many cases of contesting pre-emptions costing each party from $200 to $500. In this I do not estimate for time lost, which included would make the aggregate expenses from $30, the lowest, to $75, the highest, in each uncontested case. Assuming that each pre-emptor takes 160 acres, (and many pre-empt 40, 80, or 120 acres,) the usual necessary expenses of pre-empting add from 19 to 46 ents each acre to the cost of the land when pre-empted.

I have been for over three years register of a land office; when the entries were made almost exclusively by pre-emption, and have made this estimate by taking into the account only such expenses as are necessary in going to and from the land office, with witneises, etc., to prove up and pay for land under existing pre-emption laws.

It may not be improper to add that whenever parties can secure land subject to pre-emption, and not lose the right of pre-emption, it is regarded at the west as a most valuable privilege; and Sioux halfbreed scrip, inasmuch as it is locatable upon land subject to pre-emption, has a market value largely beyond land warrants, which can only be located by the pre-emptor, he thereby losing such right, or on land subject to private entry; and while land warrants sell for 90 cents per acre, half-breed scrip, when title can be obtained at once, command a price varying from $2 to $5 per acre. Very respectfully, yonr obedient servant,

Hon. HENRY M. RICE.

W. W. PHELPS.

BALTIMORE, June 3, 1858.

MY DEAR SIR: I came as far as here in company with Mr. Richardson. In conversation with him along the way, he mentioned to me that McGregor was going to use against you an affidavit which I filed in Clayton county some time since againt a man named Ralph who was

cutting wood on land belonging to Upper Ferry property. I swore that Brisbois, yourself, and myself were the owners. This had referrence solely and excluisively to the land which I entered, and has been owned by us as the Ferry property for the last fifteen years. I gave the patents to my lawyer to write the affidavit from. Mr. Hall knows that Ralph cut nearly all the timber on these fractions, and he told Mr. Hall that McGregor & Brown had told him (Ralph) to cut away, and that they would see him clear. Mr. Brisbois owns the land adjoining, and on which Ralph has squatted, but in this you have no interest of course. Mr. Brisbois was absent when I made the affidavit, and I may have sworn that Mr. Brisbois' land was trespassed on with our own, but I am certain I never mentioned your name as any way interested, except as part owner of the fractions, which I entered before the reserve was made. I write this in a great hurry, as the cars leave in a few moments, and only do so in case McGregor should want to implicate you as in any way concerned in the land you sold on the reserve last fall. I regret that I am compelled to leave for home, but Hall, Brunson, and Brisbois can put down any lie that may be started against you. Your friend,

H. L. DOUSMAN.

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