Senator Ball-I would like a vote of the Senate upon it. Mr. McGowan: Question. Did you read the letter? Witness-I did not read the letter; Mr. Goddard read it. Q. To you? A. Yes, sir. The Presiding Officer-The question is, Shall the question asked by Mr. Manager Grosvenor be put to the witness? Those of you in favor will, as your names are called, respond Aye; those opposed, No. Senator Wheeler-Do the gentlemen ask time? Mr. Manager Grosvenor-If there is any probability of the letter being found, I will not ask him now. I will ask that the search may be made. I made a search this morning, and I demanded of the chief clerk this paper, and he contemptuously told me that there was no affidavit, and he would take the responsibility. I got this clerk and brought him in, and this clerk was asked to give me these papers from the repository for them. I then ask the clerk to come in and testify. The Presiding Officer-The question is, Shall the question be put to the witness? The Secretary will call the roll. The Secretary called the roll, and the question was ordered put to the witness, by yeas and nays, as follows: The Presiding Officer-The yeas being 20 and the nays 4, the question will be put to the witness. Question. That letter was read to you, I believe you said, after it was written? Answer. Yes, sir. Q. And you were interested in the subject-matter? A. Yes, sir. Q. Now, will you state what were the contents of that letter, as near as you can? A. I don't know as I can, every word of it. Q. The substance? A. The description was put in, but it was not put in by the number of the lot, but all the vacant land in that section. I hadn't the number of the lot with me, but I had the number of acres, he wrote. The way he read the letter to me, he wrote to Mr. Barnard, and applied for that land, saying here is a fivedollar bill-do you want I should give the exact language? Q. Give the exact language if you can? A. "For God's sake, do something for a poor fellow." Q. Was there any money sent besides that? A. There was a draft. Q. For how much? A. I think it was $60.80,-a dollar per acre at all events. Q. Was there any affidavit enclosed that it was not valuable for pine? A. No, sir; not that I saw. Q. That letter was sent off and mailed? A. Yes, sir. Q. Now, can you tell me what the result of the application was in that form to get the land? A. I got a letter in two or three days after I got home to Ionia, that he had got the land, and it was all right. Q. Was that application of yours before the application of Mr. Goddard? A. Yes, sir. Q. Didn't you inform Mr. Goddard that you had been refused the land ? A. Yes, sir. Q. I believe you stated that it was valuable for timber? A. Yes, sir. Q. Is it valuable for farming purposes? Is it not valuable only for timber? A. I think it will make good farming lands. CROSS-EXAMINATION OF S. C. ALDERMAN. Cross-examined by Mr. Shipman : Question. You say you have looked this land? A. Yes, sir. Q. How much pine was there on it? A. I do not recollect exactly my estimates. I have not got my book with me. Q. How many acres are there in lots 5 and 6 together, do you think? A. There are almost 60 acres,-59 and 80-100ths, to the best of my recollection. Q. Where does it lie,-not the numbers of the locality of the land, but with reference to the bounds,-by lakes, or any thing of that kind? A. It is situated on the east side of Hagan's Lake. Q. How near to the lake? A. It is on the lake shore. Q. How is the land near the shore of the lake, of these pieces? A. There is a little strip along there of small pine; some of it has not got any timber on it. Q. How wide is it? A. It varies from 10 to 15 rods. Q. Do both pieces lie on the shore? A. Yes, sir. Q. What is the extent, in rods, should you say of land on the shore of the lake? You have seen it? A. I have been on the land. Q. You may not get it right, but give your estimate? Q. How far back from the margin of the lake should you say the average would be that this strip of small pine extended? A. Oh, not but a few rods. Q. Can you give the number of the rods more definitely than that? A. I think I could mark it out,-the east side of it is pine, back from the lake a little. Q. How much of the east side? A. Well, the belt of timber varies over its course. Q. How many acres of it should you say was valuable pine? A. Well, there is about 40 acres,-nearly that. Q. Of the sixty? A. Yes, sir. By Mr. Manager Grosvenor: Question. Forty acres of pine? Answer. Yes, sir; nearly that. By Mr. Shipman : Question. Now, will you state how many acres of it is valuable principally for timber? Answer. Well, there is about 30 acres of it well pined. Q. How many acres of it is valuable chiefly or principally for other purposes than timber? A. For farming purposes? Q. Yes, sir. A. Well, I should think it was pretty much all. Q. The balance of it? A. It is lightish soil. I think it would answer for farming land. Q. What kind of soil? A. Sandy, gravelly soil. Q. This timber you speak of, is it on one lot principally, or scattered, reaching across both lots? A. It is not scattered a great deal; it is in one belt, mostly. Q. Crossing both lots? A. Yes, sir. Q. This thirty acres,-would you say it was worth most for timber, or worth most for farming purposes? A. Worth most for timber. Q. What kind of timber is it besides pine. A. Well, there is occasionally a small oak. Q. Any other hard wood? A. A little maple; some call it "soft maple," we call it "maple" in field-notes. Q. State the surroundings of this land,-what the timber is around it? A. It is mostly pine. Q. Mostly pine? A. Yes, sir. Q. Are there farming lands joining it on either side. A. No, sir. Q. Not valuable for timber? A. No, sir. The Presiding Officer-What is the answer? Answer. No, sir, not very close to it; not on the adjoining sections. Q. How near do they come? A. Well, there are plains within ten miles. Q. Well, land that is not valuable, principally for timber, -are there such lands adjoining it? A. The lot on the south, the east part of it is pine, and near the lake it is not valuable for timber, close to the border; and the section on the east and south part of it is valuable for pine. Q. Is not the lake on the south of it? A. Well, the lake takes a southeast direction,-there is a curve in the lake,—it makes a point east. Q. Is not the lake entirely south of both pieces,-nothing but the lake south of one of the pieces ? A. Well, it is nearly all lake, I think. A. I think not. |