579 



have not paid damages; the truth is, either I owned the land or the 

 people of whom I bought the timber, and after this thing was bruited 

 about we have gone to the Comptroller's office and have redeemed 

 our lands and paid bur taxes, all the State was entitled to, and in 

 some instances, moreover, we have paid damages and lost them; and 

 Turner said he had lost in that way damages that he ought not to 

 have paid but for this starting up, some seven, eight or nine hundred 

 dollars; he brought from the Comptroller's office, and I put it 

 in evidence, a certificate showing that the State owned none of 

 those lands mentioned by the other side. They were particular to 

 mention the lots, and as to the indictment, Turner bought timber of 

 two men who had lived on the land for twenty years, sent his men in 

 .to cut it, and these same people, up there caused him to be indicted; 

 they never pressed the indictment, never done anything with it; the 

 man went and paid his taxes, had his deed canceled, redeemed his 

 land and that is the end of it. Suppose any one of you gentlemen 

 should be convicted for grand larceny for stealing timber up there, 

 when you had bought it as he did in good faith, and paid his money. 

 If anybody has been injured up there, anybody is to be criticized it 

 is these people who promoted these litigations against Turner, and 

 Turner is to be commended for the good grace and moderation which 

 he has shown. 



He did have one suit which went to the Court of Appeals, beat him 

 $12,000, and he paid that np. That was a construction of the law of 

 1885 as to the effect of tax deeds, and the other one is the one that is 

 now in progress to determine the title to this 7,500 acres of land. 

 That has not injured Turner at all. This indictment matter has not 

 injured Turner, but it shows the stress to Which the other side have 

 been put to bolster up this man Garmon. He feels it is a desperate 

 case, so far as he is concerned, and he has resorted to desperate 

 measures, and done it in the most unscrupulous manner, too. 



Now, there is another one, a settlement 213 and 214. Well, the 

 State people found they could not maintain any suit on it, and Garmon 

 says they wanted to trick Turner in a settlement, and they got him at 

 the Fouquet House and settled up. Turner and Garmon don't disagree 

 about that settlement at all; Garmoa says they were beaten and they 

 wanted to trick him. Garmon has never said anything straight- 

 forward here like any other man, a trick in it, so he began with 

 circumlocution and got him in there to settle up with him, and 

 Judge Kellogg, lawyer Kellogg, who is now judge, was the 

 attorney for the State; he appeared there and they were in such haste 

 that they wrote it out with a pencil, and got Turner to sign it and got 



