Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-08-28
Wrestling joein Luck.
The great Oregon Land Case Decided
in His Favor.

sy has been pending in the courts of
Portland, Oregon, involving the OWN
ership OF about five hundred acres OF
land situated i'll that rity. and now ,
valued at nearly million of dollars. |
y jury HIS recently rendered ver-
diet in tie case. by which the dispu-
ted title has been vested in Joseph |
Thomas, faliiiliarly known us ..Wrcst-
lin" joe" The case presents MANY |
points of curious interest, and illus
tratcs one Of those strange vicissi-
tudcs OF fortune by which 4 person is |
sometimes raised from bcggary to |
opulcuce.
"Wrcstling Joe" THE successful
party in this litigation, is we'll
known character in th.s city. For
many years he ckcd out prccarious
subsistence by the .alc of apples, pea
nuts, &c. Never remarkable either
for thrifty enterprise or prudent
economy, as old age crcpt. upon him
the profits of his business grew
':smallcr by degrees and beautifully
less" but still he managed to make
enough to keep soul and body to-
.ethcr. He had reached the cxtraor-
dinary age of about ninety years. His
cycsight had become dim, his physi-
cal strength had failed, and his mcn-
tai faculties had become cnfccbIcd.
No one took any interest i'll the old
man. who seemed TO be slowly but
surely approaching the condition of
Il paurer. To all human appearance
h" was absolutely alone in the world.
without friends and without money.
He had survived all the friends of his
carly years. His life had truly
"fallcn in TO the serc and yellow leaf,
and that which should accompany old
age; rs honor, love, obedience, troops
All at once old Joe, or "Wrcstling
Joc," us he was called, become an oh.
ject of interest, the cynosurc of ad-
miring eyes: Not; however, OH ac-
count OF any personal attractions, but
Because it was whispered that he had
fallen heir to an immense estate in
Oregon.
Entcrprising spectators who had
become somewhat familiar with some
of the facts i'll the great Oregon land
suit began to inquire into the person.
al history of the old patriarch, when
the following facts We're brought to
light:
IN 1916 Joseph Thomas (Wrcstling
Joc) married Miss Elizabeth Caru-
Tiers, daughter of John Caruthcrs,
from North Carolina, and settled near
what is now the tLr wing city of Belle
willie, in the State of Illinois. The
union proving unfortunate, u scpa-
ration soon followed. Mrs. Thomas
had one son whctht he was born be.
fore or after the sci a:atiol. l.took place
is not definitely known; she, how.
ever, assumed her maiden name,
Elizabeth Caruthcrs, and called her
SON Finicc Caruthers, [iutendcd,
probably. f0f phineas)
She travelled about from place to
place, generally living with her rcla.
tvcs. Finally, in 1917, she, with her
son, ClrigrHtcd to Oregon. lie had
grown upto manhood, judicious
business man without much cduca-
ton. There they laid their land war.
rants. embracing Il large portion OF
whtrc the city of Portland now
stands, with fine front OH the vii.
famettc river, worth several hundred
thousand dollars. His mother died
in 1886, and hc, in 1863, having never
been married. leaving fine estate
without any known heirs in Oregon
An administrator was appointed
and soon the State of Oregon seized
or attempted to seize the property as
an eSchcat to the State: and to show
how the property has advanced
, it may be stated that its value in lS6,
: was put down at $4,000.
Meantime responsible parties set tc
work to buy out the Caruthers heirs
; who, were supposed to te tire tcga
owners ofthc property.
The gentlemen most active in tli.
matter were Mr.: ID. Il. Hannah and
Gov. y. &. Gibbs, the former OF
whom undertook Il long trip through
the StDtcs of Texas, Arkansas and
Tennessee during the war, and he
succeeded i'll coilrcring such Il mass
of stimony rs established beyond &
doubt that there were plenty ofhcirs
on the mothers side to inherit Tie cs-
tate and with his power of attorney
he went to work, and after 4 long
legal cainuaign oustcd the State and
got possession of all the property.
But no sooner had Hannah and tho
. Caruthcrs heirs got fairly placed in
; possession Of this comfortable prop.
, eriy than another Richmond enters
the field in the person of Wrestling
joe" who had been been found Oh
/ the streets of ST. Louis, aged, intirn
and almost blind. a suit was et once
instituted against Hannah and tho
J Carutllcrs heirs. The question at is
sue was one of identity merely. The
: defendants claimed that the plaintiff
. was not Joseph Thomas, the fathe,
, of Finicc Caruthers, but that he wa,
James W. Davidson, of Illinois. A
. great deal of testimony was take,
upon this question of identity, anC
the case wa: but recently submitted
, to II jury and verdict returned in fa
vor of ':Wrestling joe" The dcci
sion ofthis jury does not end tho case
rs we arc told it will go TO the Su
premc Court or exceptions withou
number, and the war may go on We
for several years. Poor old Joe ha.
but little interest in the case, havin:
sold out TO the gentlemen who ar,
carrying the war into Africa
. "Wrcstliug Joc' is said to be now oil
his way to st. Louis via Cape Horn
To select -four look at the color: i
>