Page:United States v. Samperyac.pdf/26

Rh  Rh   position, still we think the defendant Stewart is not entitled to be protected as an innocent purchaser without notice, on the ground that the transfer from Samperyac to John J. Bowie is a forgery. The evidence establishing this fact will be briefly detailed.

The transfer or deed from Samperyac to John J. Bowie, of the land decreed by the former decree of this court, now claimed by Stewart, bears date on the 14th day of February, 1828, and is attested by Henry Hobbs and John Cook, and proved by the said Cook before John Williams, as justice of the peace in Clark county in this territory. By consent of parties, about sixty-six deeds of transfer from the original claimants, in whose favor this court have made decrees, all of which are now pending in this court upon bills of review, and are similarly situated with the case now under consideration, have been filed as evidence in this cause.

Twenty-four of those transfers, from the original claimants, are made to John J. Bowie, attested by John Cook and another name. The first of these transfers bears date on the 29th day of December, 1827, in a few days after the decree was entered of record. The second bears date on the 18th January, 1829; the third on the 19th; the fourth on the 21st; the 5th on the 24th of the same month and year. The sixth bears date on the fourth February, 1828; the seventh on the 6th; the eighth on the 8th; the ninth and tenth on the 9th; the eleventh on the 10th; the twelfth and thirteenth on the llth; the fourteenth on the 12th; the fifteenth on the 13th; the sixteenth on the 20th ; the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth, on the 21st; the twentieth on the 22d; the twenty-ﬁrst on the 23d; the twenty-second on the 28th; the twenty-third and twenty-fourth on the 29th February, 1828. These twenty-four transfers, one of which is the transfer in this case, purport to have been executed by the original claimants, in whose favor the decrees of this court were made to John J. Bowie, are all attested by John Cook and another, and certiﬁed by John Williams, a justice of the peace in this territory, to have been proved before him by John Cook, the subscribing witness.

How does it happen that this witness, John Cook, should