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Notes

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  In a letter to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, written May 8, 1826, Pascal P. Enos, who was then the receiver of the Springfield Land Office, described the sort of thing that happened at the government "auction": "And here permit me to remark Sir that there has never been an instance during either of the two land sales at this place of any person biding more than the Govt. prices, or any persons biding agt. a person that held by posses|sion. Tho there was many instances in which individuals threatened to do it, in consequence of some old grudge or quarrel that existed. One in particular I will mention, a Mr. Kirkpatrick and Wm. Broadwell made a settlement. K. afterward stated that B. had cheated him out of $14 in the settlement and unless he did pay him back the $14 he would positively bid against him when his land came into the market. Wm. S. Hamilton on learning this determina|tion of K. and at the time of the sales went to him and paid him the $14 and on his return stated that he had settled the difficulty between those two men but whether B. gave him the money to pay or whether he paid it out of his own pocket, I do not know. But the inducement that led him to compromise this difficulty he stated on his return to be this that he was affraid that if they once began to bid that they would continue to bid, and might be the means of his losing his mills in Morgan county. These mills he and his partner had lately purchased the possessory right to for which they gave a large sum."

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