James Moore Wayne

“ When he grew to be a man, he returned among us, and continued near to us till he died. He was always our greatest counsellor for good. He was our French, Spanish, and American interpreter, for a great many years; our brother now is dead, but his sons live.
'We, therefore, the chiefs and head men of the Caddo nation, pray that the United States will guarantee to the sons now living of our good brother, deceased, Touline (otherwise Grappe) , the whole of our original gift,-four leagues to him and to them ”

“ No white man ever settled on our lands, and we were assured they never should. We were told the same things by the Americans in our first council at Natchitoches, and that we could not sell our lands to any body but our great father the President. ”

“ The court cannot be called upon to decide upon the admissibility of any evidence in a cause before the same shall come on for trial, except in the case pointed out in said act of 20th March, 1839, and these depositions do not fall within the exception provided for by that act. ”

“ If such a suit as Brooks v. Norris did exist, and if said depositions were read in evidence on the trial thereof, still they are not admissible in this cause, because the parties to this suit are not the same as the parties to that of Brooks v. Norris.
'Which grounds of objection being sustained by the court, the counsel for plaintiffs tendered this bill of exceptions, which was signed and sealed.
(Signed,) THEO. H. McCALEB, U.S. Judge.'
On the 7th of April, 1847, the District Attorney of the United States (Thomas J. Durant) filed a petition that the case might be tried by a jury. ”