The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-10-13
The Subject Under COnsidera-
tiOn Elsewhere.
A LYING ATTACK on CROOK.
Will PoOl-K=ights of LabOr-Para-
lysis-Want Their Money
Our MOllie.
THAT TIMBER CUTTING.
A Special Agents Report : The
Montana Improvement Company.

WASHINGTON, October 1.-THE follow
ing letter has just been received by
Commissioner Sparks:
GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
RATHDRUM, IDAHO, October 5, 'S5.
Hon. Commissioner General Land Office:
Sir:-Ihave the honor to report that
1 have completed reports in the
Northern Pacific Railway Company
and Montana Improvement Company
timber trespass case and herewith
transmit eight reports, making, with
what [ had already transmitted, thirty
one Seperate indictments in all, showing
that these corporations have caused to
be cut from the public domain 45, 100 900
feet of lumber and bridge tim
Der, S4,744 railroad ties, 15,4OO.OOO
shingles (61, 900 bunches), 32.O35
cords of wood and 10000 cedar posts.
The value of the lumber at $40 per l 900
feet, which would be a low figure, rail-
road ties at 40c. per tie, the wood at SO
per cord, posts at $50 per 1000, and
shingles at 81 per ], 900, or SOC. bunch.
would amount to $613, 402. This does
not represent all the ties and wood cut
for the Northern Pacific Railway Com
pany by Eddy, Hammond " Co., which
changed its name into 1.-THE Montana
improvement Company" in July, 1888,
as l found it an absolute ina
possibility to get witnesses to tes-
Jify in these cases, or even to
find persons of whom l could obtain
anything like satisfactory information.
Where the depredations were commit
ted, between Rathdrum, Idaho, AMI
Bear Mouth, Montana, is very thinly
settled, and the men who were en-
ployed on contracts during the-con-
StructlOn of the Northern Pacific Rail-
way, have gone TO parts unknown;
owing to this it has taken me much
longer to complete this investigation
than it otherwise should. l was ham,
pered by the officers OF the Montana
improvement Company, who appeared
TO expect an investigation, and were.
terrifying their position The company
had agents along the line endeavoring
to suppress facts of the Mon
tana improvement Company's opera
ton. The company is an INSCRIPTIONS
corporation that will leave nothing I'M
done to gain the point. | found that
no reliance whatever could be placed
on statements made by the officer of
the Montana improvement Company.
have mailed you a copy, in duplicate,
of the contract between the Northern
Pacific Railway Company and the Mon
tana Improvement Company. 1t was
furnished me by Fl. w. Fairweather
and Exclusion Superintendent of the
Northern Pacific Railway.
have the honor to be your obedient
servant, NJ. J. HALEY,
Special Timber Agent.
The contract referred to by Agent
Holey, in the above report, is between
the Northern Pacific Railroad of the first
part and the Montana Improvement
Company to withdraw all of its timber
lands from sale or disposal and gives
the Improvement Company exclusive
right to cut timber from the lands. In
the return for the privilege the Improve
ment Company transfers to the railroad
LOCI full paid shares of its
capital stock of the value of $1,000. 100.
reserving itself shares valued at 1899 800.
The improvement Company also agrees
to erect at its own expense all the mills
and furnish all the plant necessary for
its business of timber cutting.