The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-08-07

OLD NBWaRARR8 1lG1A
enssr valss n Ceoang Ysass-1As
Des11asoe0 Lanl lsGaga1aeo.
TAconA. Ane. N-ispscial Many
pienearA principally mon 6ssiiaeoom.
usee h tAe yedsral court roo0s yssteedAy.
Several 0f them wsgs - testify In he eass
a Heayy DaleA, who = SIDING for possss-
don Il lis amoD Of Iand adioining that
plaea Mr. RFoeeA, q eeat4le, the ploosaR
editor q the Rget Sssa1 Hersll, vas the
hrst witness. Z r Rogers. Of Sssilaeoom.
who has heeo n this section since 1864,
- also there. toestAsg with i. =. 0usss,
\. h Orr, O. G. Palner and Hin Harmon.
IL 10 feared. In ease 1r. BaIch should suc-
ed In this suit, that no would commence
IN action for some q the inside property
q oseilecoom.
While on the witness stand many events
over two score yeaSs old were recalled to
Mr.. Pfosch's mind. When he left the
stand ~ was In . rsminiscent mood, and
said:
when. moro than forty years ago, I
vas told that . noted legal firm in New
York city was ransacking dark, damp
vaults and musty attics In pursuit Of copies
Of the Eresis9 Post printed thirty pears
befoEe, did not dream that I should ever
episode there or herr. Very valuable
property IN the mstsopoiis vas involved
In the pursuit, the successful issue of
which would leave In possession the family
Who had believed Is their own for thirty
yearA How the search terminated in that
cAse cannot now cay. nor u il essential
at this late day 70 know. Il i mentioned
at this time in congestion with the pres.
ent case 20 show how old nswspapers
eomesimeS become very precious.
'Yesfarday morning at 3 o'clock, while
reading q my home the Seattle dailies, .
mseoen9sr boy placed in my hand the fol-
lowing teieRam:
".TAcoMA. Wssh., Aus. 3, 1soA
CAasise Rosch Seattle, Wax: Batch
caee ses tor today. Please come on first
boat OF train. Bring nsvspsper tilss.
'DOoITTTLE b FoG0.'
These gentlemen had Informed me By
mall week or moro previously that my
presence would b required in this case.
and requested me to bring 6les Of the
paper published By me In Steiiacoom
thirty years ago. Il wss Unnecessary for
them 70 say my testimony would b Of
little value without the paper: that went
without saying. What the court and Jury
wanted WAS 20 - in print, - the Law ~
quired. the legal notices relating 70 the
property in question. With these In evil
dence. there could BE- no controversy q 70
the LEGALITY Of the proceedings attending
it, disposition.
"In January, 1851, Lafayette Balch took
claim under the donation law where
Steilacoom II located. On land adjacent
thereto. but claimed BY the Hudson Bay
Company, he erected . sawmill. At the
same time he plated portion Of his land
and commenced building the town OF Stall
scoom. Tor Which purpose he shipped .
cisco. This lumber was dressed and pre-
pared In sections for the erection Of build
ln9s Immediately upon reaching it, des-
tinattou. IL came from DamaYiscOve, Ne,
10 schooner owned by Capt. Bslch. Sub
sequently he entered into partnership with
Dr: J. 3 Weober, n whose favor he az
left In Steilacoom to look after his inter-
estb on Puget sound. while Balch engaged
In the lumber trade In CALIFORNIA;.
AFTER being In business together some
ten years. death severed the connection
Balch dying in California in 1862. Very
y made Dr.. Webbsr administrstor Of the
Balch estate. In due time Wcbber asked
and obtained authority 10 cell. First, he
sold BY auction the lots embraced Ia the
town plat: then, In like manner, the re-
mninder Was disposed Of in acreage tracts.
This land Was al purchased in good faith
BY different parties, mono Of whom are rich
and some just the opposite.
"Now, alter the lapse Of thirty years,
comes . man named Henry Balch and
claims this land. .townsite and all, by
virtue OF some sort Of kinship lafayette
Baich was never married. and LETS no
offspring. He had nephew named Frank
Balch. whose fate Is unknown to me also.
. brother named Albert g., who died
before Lafayette. THIS. In brief, 10 tho
history Of the case here treated Of.
Apparently Henry Balch and his at
torncys INDUCED the hope that the records
were incomplete; that 1t some period in
containing the requisite advertisements
were destroyed, or that some Of the
essential papers were lost from the files OF
the court. II they based their action upon
this hypothesis. they were doomed to dis
appointment. for nothing Was lacking TO
sought to dispossess This affords strik-
ing instance Of the value Of old news
papers.
council expressed . desire TO purchase
complete files of the Herald, Of that city.
These files then covered . period during
Of which the city ST fathers possessed I no
record. They were essential to . complete
history Of tho city IN all its departments.
and the city purchased them at the price
demanded by the proprietor-$50.00 900. A
goodly sum, truly, for m accumulation OF
what many people regard ~ rubbish.
THUS il II seen that In various ways old
newspapers often become valuable. II not
to the publisher. then TO somebody else.
II the files of the Puget Sound Herald
which l have brought with me 20 Tacoma,
in compliance with the Instructions Of
Messrs. Doolittle & FogG. areinstrumental
In shielding from grievous wrong the
people who have 20 long held the property
in dispute. then shall deem myself more
than repaid for the trouble and expense
incurred in saving these old papers. Nay.
shall feel like setting apart . day Of
Thanksgiving for the opportunity afforded
me Of doing good to somebody at 20 little
cost.
but would not sdvise the reader to
begin now to gather and accumulate old
papers in the hope Of beneHting Others or
reaping rich pecuniary reward thirty
years hence. That Is the period allotted
for tho contamination OF these events, &C
cording TO my experience and observation.
Ii IL too long time to wait"
PlLLSBURY IN JAIL AGAIN.
He elaine He Osly went t. See His
sick Wife.
L. c. piiiahurv vh0 WA arrNakAd in