f securing these lands and setting up a new
government,--a sort of Western empire. To further their designs they
began by forming themselves into an association called the "Combined
Society," the members of which were bound to secrecy by oaths and other
solemn pledges. The purpose of the Combined Society became known, and
the force of public opinion compelled the members to disband. Some of
them were men of aristocratic pretensions.

Thus Washington, or Walsh, found a great many sympathetic people in
Georgia. He was too well known in the State to undertake any scheme to
which his name was attached: so he worked through an agent, a man named
Sullivan. This man Sullivan had been a captain in the patriot army; but
he had headed the Philadelphia mob which insulted Congress, and he was
compelled to flee to the Mississippi to save his neck. When the old
Congress went out, Sullivan felt free to return. He came to Georgia,
representing, or pretending to represent, the Virginia Yazoo Company, of
which the celebrated Patrick Henry was a member, and made application to
the State Legislature for the purchase of the Western lands. Sullivan's
description of the Yazoo lands was so glowing that another company
was formed in Georgia. Some of the members of the new company formerly
belonged to the Combined Society, but others were men of good standing.
This company employed active agents; but no corrupt means were used so
far as is now known, though some members of the General Assembly were
interested. The efforts of the company were successful. Their act was
passed, and the sale made. Immediately the people began to oppose the
scheme, and to demand the repeal of the act The demand grew into a State
issue, and the new Legislature declared the sale null and void.

[Illustration: The Yazoo Scheme 134]

For a while the land grabbers were quiet; but in 1794 it seemed to the
most eager of the speculators that the time had come for them to make
another effort to secure the rich Western lands that belonged to the
State. They were evidently afraid, that, unless they made haste to get
hold of the lands, the people's Legislature would divide them out or
sell them to the Federal Government. So they formed another conspiracy,
and this time they laid their plans very deep. Acting on the principle
that every man has his price, they managed, by bribery and other
underhanded schemes, to win the sympathy and support of some of the
most prominent men in