The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-04-19
Contains Ample Evidence to Con-
vict One OF Horse Stealing,
But May Not Phase Any
Timber Thieves.

house within five days of the receipt of
this resolution whether the pine timber
on said section SO has been disposed of,
when, to whom and for what considera-
ton. and whether the sale of said pine
timber was public or private, and if at
public sale, when, where, and in what
manner notice OF sale was given.
Resolved, That the chief clerk of this
house be and is hereby directed to serve
copy Of this resolution on the state au-
ditor forthwith.
On Feb. %, in response to the
above, the following communica-
ton from the state auditor was re-
ceived in the house of representa-
tives and appears on page = of
the house journal of~Feb. =:
State of Minnesota, Auditors Office,
ST. Paul, Feb. ~. 1893.
Hon. VIM. E. Lee, Speaker House of
Representatives:
Sir: In response to the resolution Of
the 25th inst, I have the honor to inform
you that the timber on section 80, town
ship AZ, range 26. was sold to c. A.
Smith Il Co., Minneapolis. on Jan. 25,
1892, at private sale. The price said
timber sold for was 50 per M.
Very Respectfully,
A. BIERMAN, State Auditor.
On March 1 Representative Dunn
introduced the following resolution
which was adopted.
Dunn'S Resolution.
Resolved, That the speaker appoint
committee of five to investigate the al
legged Irregularities said to exist in the
state auditors Office, moro especially
with reference to the sale of pine lumber
on section &c. town AZ, range 26, Mile
r +l-4 L.
empowered to employ stenographer
and send for persons and papers and ad-
minister Oaths, authorize and compel at
tendance OF witnesses and report to this
house not later than two weeks from
this date.
Pursuant to the above resolution
the following committee was ap-
pointed: Representative Dunn,
Fleming, Zelch, Cole, T., and Cor
man.
On March the committee held
its first meeting in room IS at the
capitol, the following members
were present.: Dunn, Fleming,
Zelch and Cole.
Witnesses Testify.
The first witness examined was John
Goss Of Anoka. Being sworn, said he
had numbered on Rum river and its
tributaries for more than twenty
three years past. He had section ;6,
town AZ, range 26, estimated by COM
petent estimators and cruisers With a
view to bidding for the timber on the
same at sale advertised by the state
auditor to be held at Princeton in May,
1892. He went to Princeton prepared to
bid as high as 81 per 1000 feet
for the timber on said land; that the Sec
ton was estimated by his men to con-
tain nearly 5000, 600 feet of an extra good
quality Of pine; that on going to Prince
ton he appeared at the Office of the aud
itor of, Mile Laos county, where such
sale was advertised to take place, and
was there advised that said land had
been by the state auditor Withdrawn
from sale: that he went to St. Paul to
learn why the land had been withdrawn,
and was told by Auditor Biermann that
the timber had been sold in December
to G. A. Smith & Co. Of Minneapolis, ex-
hibitlng at the time contract between
e. A. Smith and the state, in which the
timber was sold at 50 per 1000.
Burch's Evidence.
Robert Burch, resident of the town
of Robbins, Mile Laos county, and
practical lumberman who is thoroughly
familiar with all the pine lands in that
region, testified that he had cruised and
estimated the timber in question with
view to bidding-on it at the May sale;
that he estimated the section to contain
81 million feet of pine Of an. excellent
quality; that it was worth 81 per 1000
bank scale. Being cross-questiOned by
Auditor Biermann he testified that the
timber was worth 81 per 1000 and was
still willing to pay that price for what
was left of it.
E. S. Page, we'll known and respon-
sible lumberman of Anol1a, testified that
he had desired to purchase the same
timber, and corroborated the testimony
OF the foregoing witnesses relative to the
quality and value of the timber.
r. F. Mcclellan, county surveyor of
Mile Laos county, testified that the pine
on section So was of an excellent quality
and worth 81 per 1000.
March 10 the committee met with the
following members present: Dunn,
Cole, Zelch and German.
Smith Bought Timber.
c. A. Smith testified that he had
bought the timber from the state audi
tor at private sale for 50 per 1000 and
thought that was fair price for it. He
also testified further but offered nothing
in rebuttal of the testimony already Of
fered as to the value of the timber ex-
cept his own opinion, the
apolis and other irrelevant matters.
Auditor Biermann testified that the pine
on the section in question was sold on
an estimate of 100000 feet and that
bond of 81, 800 was exacted on the con-
tract estimate exhibited, being a frag
mentary slip Of paper bearing no date or
signature but simply the words and fig
ures ''Section SO. T. 40, r. 26, 700
00O'O. He testified that there had been
no recent appraisal of the timber.
He had sold to William Sauntry sec
at public sale, in December. 1891,
He sent appraisers on the land in ques-
ton in February of the present year,
after there had been some talk OF an in
vestigation, and they reported that there
were ), 100000 feet in the section.
Braden Sold Old Cuttings.
Ex-State Auditor Braden testified
that during his term of Office he had sold
old cuttings at private sale, but never
virgin pine He had always had the
timber appraised before the sale.
James Mulyey of Saltwater and w. B.
Ransom of Minneapolis, testified as to
the relative value of logs in Saltwater
and Minneapolis.
The committee met again March g.
those present being Dunn, Cole, Elem
ing, Zelch and German.
Leonard Pratt testified that he was
one of the appraisers who appraised the
land in question for the sale advertised
for May 1892. He had put bidding
price, on it realizing that it was worth
81 per 1000 and that it would be bid upto
or above that figure. Knew lumbermen
who would bid that for it, It was one
of the best sections on the reservation
and was not liable to damage by fire.
The reason he did not put the bidding
price higher was that if he had APP
praised it at its true value "a per ,000)
some of those who wanted to bid on it
would have said he was trying to shut