Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-20
The Alleged Attempt to Steal the Hun
bOldt RedWoOds

The Alleged Attempt to Steal the Hum
boldt Redwoods.
WASHINGTON, November 19th-"An ex-
tensiVe conspiracy, eliminating in mon
strous fraud" is the manner in which
Secretary Lamar characterizes, in his letter
to the Attorney General to-day an alleged
attempt to steal all the magnificent red
wood forest lying within the confines of
Humboldt county For nearly year past
special agents of the General Land Office
have been engaged upon an investigation
of the methods by which Russ and others
have secured patents to $50 entries of tim
Der land, probably the best in the United
States, and final receipts upon nearly 300
more, and the report OF Agent R. F. Bergen
discloses system of frauds that is so per-
feet in detail and extensive in its ramifca-
tons as to gain the admiration of Land
officials familiar with every phase of the
timber land laws. A syndicate of Scotch
capitalists several years since made. through
its agent in California, James D. Walker,
contract with the firm Of Russ 8; Co., COM
posed of Joseph Russ, Daniel Evans and
Charles King, to securely such means as
they should see fit-a contract for
ALL THE VALUABLE REDWOOD TIMBER IN
HUMBOLDT COUNTY,
And that contract Russ & Co have since
been industriously carrying out They in
turn employed in this "nefarious business"
as the Secretary calls it, Charles E. Beach
Harry A. Marks and NJ. P Roberts A
brother of the Register of the Humboldt
Land Office, a man named Frank Nc
Laughlin, was paid to make timber appli-
cations, and he was paid So for entry, his
duty being to take charge Of the entrymen.
"A contract was made with John Conor, a
boarding house keeper, to furnish sailors to
make entries each sailor being paid S25
for entering 160 acres, under the direction
of Mclaughlin, and the men decided them
to Russ d Co., or some of its members. A
notary named David Cutter swore that he
was employed by the Russ Company to
draw up deeds, the names and descrip
ton of the property being furnished him
in bulk by Marks, and he further says that
he drew up between 400 and 450 of these
deeds.
HOW THE SAILORS MADE SOMETHING.
All that was required of the sailors was
to make entry and sign deed, after which
they were shipped off. Marks paid all the
fees, and was seen paying for some twenty
five entries at one time to the Receiver of
the Land Office. The records of Humboldt
county show that, within a very short
time, some $50 deeds of timber land to
Russ g. Co. were placed on record 1t
seems that up to this time the company
has secured nearly 1000 acres of this red
wood forest land and is continuing its
operations. The Secretary recommends
that criminal suits be instituted against all
the parties implicated in the conspiracy.
Woman sufragists Elated. .
NEW YORK, November 10Th. - The
Womans Suffrage Association here is
highly elated over woman's victory in OBJ
10, ,tati Of
Education, which has the disbursement of
81, 100000 per annum. 1.-The most re-
markable thing about it, said one of their
officers, is that every journal in the city
speaks highly in cOmmendation of it,
whereas fifteen or twenty years ago the
proposition would have been secuted by
every one of them. This marks genuine
progress, and it will be a fresh encourage
ment for the Society to persevere until
woman has not only the ballot but every
other civil and political privilege or right
that is now exclusively conferred upon
men, outside of suffrage
The Associations address to Mayor
Grace is in course of preparation, signed
by many well-known ladies' thanking him
for his action in the matter. This will be
followed by public meeting to celebrate
the event, in the expectation that ii will in
fuence other cities to recognize the right of
their sex to have a voice in the manage
ment of public schools.
Shocking Injuries to Six Men.
CHICAGO, November 19th-A Tines Troy
fN. " special says A terrific tornado
swept down the valley of the Mohawk
river yesterday, and wrecked the large
yitriol works of the John L. Thompson
Company, across the river from here.
There were eight men at work in the build
ing, six of whom were fatally injured. The
first three were at work under large tank
of vitriol, and its contents were spilled
over them Their clothes were burned off
and their bodies shockingly mutilated.
The acid put out their eyes, and in their
efforts to get 10 place of safety they
walked among the ruins and were further
injured by falling Gmbers. The other
three men were badly burned by the vitriol,
but not so severely, but their injuries from
falling timbers were fatal.
A Disastrous Collision.
New York, November 19th.-A collision
occurred this morning between the steam
ers Britannia and Beaconsfeld. The former
struck the latter on the port side, about
midships, making a hole from three to
four feet long on the water-line. Several
tugs took the Beaconsfeld in tow, and
when near the Erie Elevator at Jersey
CITY, where it is supposed she was bound,
she sank in thirty five or forty feet of
water She was of lis tons register, and
had on board 1000 bushels of grain. The
damage to the Britannia was apparently
above the water-line, and was quite extern
sive.
Patti, The Peerless"
New YORK, November 19th.-The Patti
operatic concert at the Academy of Music
last night was magnificent affair. For the
extremely brilliant and ultra Questionable
audience ii was an unalloyed delight. For
Mime. Patti it was, Of course a triumph.
For Mr.. Abbey it was brilliant testimony
of his managerial sagacity. The Academy
has probably never, since it was built, held
such a large and enthusiastic audience, nor
one which was so unwearying in its delight
in welcoming back the Italian opera and
its Queen" Patti, the Peerless" The
other artists who sang were Scalchi, No
yarra, Galassi and Signor Guile, the new
French tenor who has fine voice of re-
markable range and of medium power.
The programme included parts of two acts
of Semiramide." with scenery and cos
TUNES and miscellaneous operate selections
sung as in concert.
To Compete with the Canadian Line.
ST. PAUL, November 19th.-The report is
current here that the Northern Pacific Rail-
road Company is negotiating for the pur-
chase of the Oregon Navigation Company's
Puget Sound steamers. with view of afford
ing greater competition against the Cana
dian Pacific for the control Of the Victoria
British Columbia and Puget Sound trade
The inroads made by the Canadian Pacific
Company on this business is said to be
great. p,,-s
DENVER. November 19th.-A Nelrs spe
cial from Sterling says Eugene Burleson
a homesteader from Michigan, was lost il
the storm last Monday while hunting cat
tle fifteen miles east of here His frozeI
body was discovered yesterday and brought
to town this afternoon.
The knights in Business.
N-o.-o,,,ba- 1otb "A Ifoar,Sa ba,