The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-10-27
Romance Land in Search
of an OwnerssttWrestling J0e."

Portland (0rsOOR) GorTtq10iIdsHes or he SacrG-
& ~ ! H1SPlt0 Union, Oct0btFH. hg"a q
They have a romantic land case at
Portland, one that involves about quar-
ter of million dollars worth of real es.
tate, and the romance consists Of tho Of
forts made to hunt up the heirs by specu'
latOrs who honestly cOYet the inheritance.
Twenty years ago / remember q quiet,
staid individual who had q land claim ad.
Joining Portland on the south, 1t con-
sisted Of some bottom land subject TO
overflow, strip or bench Of upland, and
back further the heavy fir forest covered
rough rising ground. This Finice
Caruthcrs and his mother had a mile
square Of land there, six hundred and
forty acres. He used his opportunities TO
moderate advantage, and he and his
mother both lived and died there, leaving
the land to become immensely valuable rs
tho only field for the city to spread In that
direction. Il was charged that be was nm
illegitimate son, and tho State. claim.
cd tho land for an escheat,
as they made no will, the
neither dying first. Then 1t came ou!
that there was marriage, and Improved
un unhappy one, tho vile had taken her
son, and resuming her maiden name, they
went westward and cared for themselves.
This Unopened carly In the century, and
after awhile they found their way TO
Oregon and nude them home on The
r61ght hill BidesI along the river above
P0ftland.i Living quietly andbelng plain
folks of no cultivation, though of fair intel
Iigence and ot good reputation, they made
no stir while alive, save that the tNct Of
her maiden name being adopted by both
gave rise to tho surmise and rumor that
his birth was not sanctioned by .WedlOcH,
Itrcmainel for their deaths TO make their
names famous The Joint property became
Lis by tie death Of lis mother, and on bis
deat6 the question OF whose It was to be
became more interesting cachycnr as Inc
spread OF the city and the great increase in
value Of property made the "Caruthers'
cstate" the subject Of general speculation.
lat first the State claimed ltsas an 'es-
cheat for want Of legal Iaheirs. Then It
was discovered thNt relations on the
mothers side were alive, and some enter
prisinE persons undertook 70 secure all the
titles. The attorney Of one Of these par.
ties visited seventeen Suites and traced
every clue TINT could, be discovered and
tue titles were thus, secured. as was
thought, so that these gentlemen looked
on the original Caruthcrs section OF dona-
tion, and thBimportatit and valuable pros
perty outside OF 1t. .acqpiredby the frugal
Caruthers, Us their own valuable perqui-
sites. The claim Of the State was aba1;,
doned, and the matter Of hunting up heirs
and purchasing their titles was prosecut'
ed with most commendable asSldulty,
The husband OF Elizabeth Caruthers,
and tile father Of her son, Finice, seems
10 Iave been "a tfohticrsrnnn, named JR
Thomas, who possessed frontier vices and
virtues SO mixed, that matrimonial felicity
wis not easily. achieved. When the scpa'
ration took place, Joe Thomas, known on
the frontier and in the Indian country as
Wrestling Joe" either from natural In:
clination or Overpowering grief, T. said to
have abandoned the haunts Of civilization
and rushed into the Arkansas country,
and for twenty years was lost 10 sight
among the Indians and scarce henrd'Oi.
lie was reported dead, and it seems that
us lhulIly SupIIOSGu ultH " W oC "t"sA1
ticy.calne To- Oregon. At Ornear Oregon
Cityth Iiye,tySoo old men who know'ol
the marriage and who seem to have
had some clue TO the history Of
/" Wrestling Joe" To find out what had
become aoft him, they wrote q multi
tude Of letters to all the old irontiersmen
renowned through tile Inst half century,
and tho result Is said to be that the old
wrestler has been discovered In the form
Of miserable rugged old Deggdr In the
city Of ST. Louis. who, for the considera.
lion of $S 1000 cash In hand, has decided all
his interest in the Garithers' estate to the
enterprising prospectors who have rcsur'
rectGd him from IFS rags and made his
old age q trife moro honorable. He Is
said to bc nincty.onc years Of Hge, and has
now probably arrived In Portland, for the
purpose Of aiding his friends TO make
godll the title he has given them to the
rich domains Of his son, The story is ro.
mantle and quite rs interesting to the pNr.
ties who have bought up the scattering
titles as TO tho public. We shall have
some quarfeling in tho Courts before It is
decided, lrr