St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-12
NOT IN SEARCH OF HEALTH.
Supervisors Of New County Charged
With Gigantic Scheme

supervisors OF New County charged
With Gigantic Scheme
TO FILL UP THEIR POCKETS
With nl-Gotten Gold Through the Ap-
pointment Of Numerous Inspec-
tors Of Land.
Special to the Globe.
EAU CLAIRE, April ia startling
state of fiscal affairs in the new county
of Oneida is developed in an action just
brought in the circuit court through
counsel here. The Land, Log and Lum-
Der company, in behalf of itself and of
the taxpayers of the county of Oneida,
plaintiff, against L. B. Walsh, w. E.
Brown and w. l.. Beers, board of super
visors, and sixty others, defendants.
The complaint sets forth that, after the
creation of the county (Jan. 1. 1887, in
which there were two organized towns,
Pelican and Eagle River, Charles Chaffee
and A. A. Denton, town chairmen, and
W. l.. Beers, county clerk appointed by
Gov. Rusk, became by the creating act
the county board of supervisors; that
they Immediately passed a resolution
that for the purpose of valuing thelands
in the county the board elect land in
spectors, and that A. A. Denton have
general supervision of the inspectors
that such action was 'premeditated
design to incur large liability to the
county and appropriate large sum and
donate it to certain persons under the
name of inspectors greatly in excess of
the value of the services to
be rendered, and also to create
a scheme by which the board and other
persons in the county would receive a
BENEFIT BY TRAFFIC
in orders of the county, we'll knowing
that no money had been appropriated
for such purpose or taxes levied for the
same; that in furtherance of such I'M
lawful design the said A. A. Denton,
chairman of said board, became di-
rectly interested in carrying out the
same and was employed TO act in con-
cert with other inspectors, for which he
received a sum largely In excess of the
value of any services he may have rem
dered." 1t is further shown in the COM
plant that. by subsequent election, T.
b. Walsh, chairman, w. L. Brown and
w. l.. Beers became the county board,
and proceeded to carry out the unlawful
scheme; that they appointed large
number of inspectors of land, ana al
lowed them to select large number of
assistant inspectors" so-called, and
audited and allowed bills for pre-
tended services of such parties, at
excessive rates of compensation, to the
amount of $4,000; that said supervi-
sors well knew at the time they audited
such bills that they were greatly eXceS-
sive, and that in many cases no services
had been rendered. The complaint
further says that it was part of the
scheme. and in many cases it was made
a consideration for employment of ''in-
spectors," that they examine vacant
state and government lands and aScer-
tain the value of timber thereon, ETC.,
and furnish the minutes thereof to
members of the board for their use in
speculation in such lands and in tax
certificates from Lincoln county, of
which Oneida county was formerly a
part.
LAND INSPECTORS.
The complaint gives the names of
about $50 inspectors and assistant
inspectors and the amounts allowed
each, ''fraudulently and collusively,
by said board" inspectors getting Sc
each per day, and i'll some cases the
wives of inspectors getting in bills as
assistant inspectors" The complaint
states that there was no necessity what
ever at the time for making any inspec-
ton whatever of lands in the county.
A. A. Denton, as superintendent of
inspectors" is accused of getting al
lowed fraudulent claim of $500 by
collision with the board. 1t is further
charged that the inspectors and assis-
tant inspectors claims were largely
paid i'll orders, and that Chairman
Walsh and the other members of the
board bought up quantities of them at
less than face value and have carried
on thriving traffic in them lin fur
therance of the corrupt scheme with
which the inspection of lands was i'll
augurated." 1t is also shown that the
county board has proceeded to levy and
collect tax for the payment to them
selves at face value of the orders issued
in payment for ''inSpection of lands"
The complaint asks that the orders and
all transactions connected with the Gin
spectiOn'' of lands be declared void and
illegal, and all sums paid out be ordered
refunded.
A RESTRAINING ORDER.
Judge Mccormick, of Oneida county,
has, meantime, issued an order restrain
ing the county board from further dis
bursements for inspection of lands
The county of Oneida only contains
about 1000 inhabitants, and the large
and valuable tracts of land in the county
are almost entirely owned by outsiders
If the complaint is true it is easy to see
how the new county may have fallen q
prey to few schemers. The county
started in 100000 in debt-its share OF
Lincoln cOuntys Indebtedness to the
state. The Land, Log and Lumber com
pany, plaintiff i'll the case, is a MilWau-
kee corporation. Other companies in
terested in the fight against the alleged
fraud are the Scott Lumber company, OF
Merrill; the Merrill Lumber company
the Underwood Lumber company, a
Michigan corporation; and the WiScOn-
sin River Land company; and Henry W.
Sage, of Ithaca, n. Y, is also heavily
Interested. Inc pdltlco anu coi pOId-
tons interested i'll the prosecution OF
this case represent two-thirds of the
lands in the cOunty.A comical feature OF
the case is the allegation that a number
of squaws were actually employed and
paid as assistant inspectors of land
The case will be tried at Rhinelander
The owners of the land are thoroughly
indignant, and declare they will fight
the alleged fraud as long as they have q
cent left to fight with.
The Mills of Justice.