Letter from W.G. Ewing to William Medill, May 19 1847: Sheet #3

Transcription

Indiana. They were the men who employed this honest & faithfull sub Agent of yours, & sent him on there to attend to their business. I told you in Nov 1845 that I then believed such was the fact--I now tell you that I know it to be so, & that proof is abundant if required or needed.

On his return from Washington men were dissatisfied, for it seem^d he had failed had not secured their claims, but had spent their money doing nothing for them but having through false sympathy excited the Indiana delegation in his fav. & forced you to confer on him the appointment of removeing agent which you had previously concluded to give to Dr. Fitch. Here then sprung up a disagreement between this worthy individual and these poor fellows whom he had duped, & whose money he had spent, not in trying to serve them, but as they believed in securing for himself a new office. They exposed his double dealing & spoke out about these things--since then he has been very malicious, and doing them secretly all the injury in his power. Of this you are no doubt aware, His secret letters to you & his anonymous Newspaper proclamations can not fail to satisfy you of his malice towards them.

In January 1846 these new claimants were all "honest good men," and their claims "were [illeg]," decidedly more so than those sanctioned by the Treaty of Nov. 1840--this honest & disinterested public officer could then be hired (alias bribed) to help collect them,