The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-20
TIMBER rkAUDs' TRICKS.
Hsw They Fled From Indiana-Lsv
Needed to Catch Them.


Needed to Catch Them.
The gang Of timber-land swindlers, Of
which Thomas, Weaver and Reed are the
leaders, has been thoroughly exposed in
the neighborhood Of Portland, Ind, and
the newspapers Of that vicinity tell the
story of their hurried departure. A. B.
Ball, special agent of the United States
land Office, sent to A. ]. Mayo, of Port
land, Ind, who has inquired a. to the
commences Of their offers, copy of the
exposure Of their methods. He has now
received from Mr.. Mayo copies Of the
Portland, Ind, San and Commercial, con-
tanning the following extract from the
Dunkirk O6sover:
In the last issue Of this paper. we gaye short
outline Of the much talked-of Washington trip
put up $50 each for the purpose Of enjoying and
clearing SoO. On Thursday OF last week .
ticket SCENT from indianapolis arrived here, as
sold them the tickets--that 10, they bar
he following Tpesdsy. II was reported
the tickets, and their '' stock raised : little.
Weaver's wife took the afternoon passenger for
some point west Saturday. A little later in the
eryman Null, stating that they wished 70 dive
around over the county . little and did not
know just when they would return. Nothing
.s nea sq,s 9, sne% nn Iondsy rhan boy
City, i va. .serw.rd. sarneS Sm that sSeS
drove to Hartford City: INDUCED in game Of
poker until the midnight train, when they left
in the smiles of their said-to-be wives at some
high toned hotel ct the expense OF their patrons
here; The parents Of young Weaver keenly feel
OF the regard for their feelings We desist from
saying any more about It. Their trunk. WHICH
Va. left et Albert weever's, was seized BY Mr.
OF gents wearing apparel for the use Of his rig
1t has proved to be . swindle. and the culprifs
should b brought to justice.
Mr.. Mayo received the following letter
from Centralia, signed "a Victim of
Charles Reed"
Seeing piece in the Seattle paper that those
land sharks were In your city, ! will tell you
they are the most unprincipled. lov-down -
- that ever disgraeed the face Of the
They swindled seventy-hve men in this town
out Of so each; swindled fifty men In the town
Of winlock, also they swindled men at BucOda,
They went under the name Of the Michigan and
Maine Milling and Lumber Company.
! have known the whole outfit, especially
win cost either or III 81 them their lives If
ever run across them, seeing that they can not
be reached here BY law. The law may be all
q. .ss Of ths esisi
police down, By set Of unprincipled knaves,
and 9 criminal can get away for IS or drink Of
Reed has been arrested time and again, bat a.
ways escaped BY using little money. believe
this is all can think of.
The Michigan and Maine Milling Company il
OUTFIT are not the company.
The Chicago Times of . recent date
printed q special dispatch from Washing
ton City which said:
The commissioner of the general land ONCE
that representatives. of the Nichixsn Lumber
Company are at work in Chicago hiring pre-
tended settlers to enter public timber lands in
the state OF Washington for the purpose of trans
ferring them to the lumber company They
offer to pay each man $500 and ex-
penses to Washington Three parties Of
thirty men each have been engaged. Mr.; Carter
selected tracts aggregating 100 900 for entry
in this fraudulent manner The oifense of the
pretended settler il perjury: and OF the company
the land Office says that numerous frauds of the
above character are being committed on govern
ment lands in Washington. Measures are being
taken to put stop TO them.
Mr.. Ball has received the following let
ter from Joseph A. Wilson, dated Hoods
River. Or, January IL:
Some days fago wrote to the United States
district attorney stating that party here was
locating timber land claims and offering TO
furnish the money to prove up and take the
land when parties had made FINAL proof some
have taken claims in good faith and have their
own money. but others have arranged with him
II this Is q punishable offense land il ought to
bel, the witnesses can be named. The claims
are taken on the Warrington side of the Column
bia from this place.
Mr.. Ball has written to the commits
sioner of the general land Office, calling at
tention to these swindlers and to the de-
fects in the law which prevent their being
brought to justice. He suggests that con-
of violations of the land laws can be ar
rested and tried before the United States
courts and punished in the same way as
offenders against the customs and internal
revenue laws