St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-10
POINTERS ON FRAUDS.
Sample Extracts From TeSti-
mony Of Witnesses
TOUCHING PINE LAND STEALS.
High Bidding and Underesti-
mating Praetieed.
THE STATE TREASURYA LOSER
To an Extent That Cannot
THE STATE TREASURYA LOSER
To an Extent That Cannot
Well Be Estimated.
FINDINGS OF HONEST CIR USERS.

AS heretofore announced in the
GLOBE would be done, Senator Leavitt
last evening gave GLOBE reporter an
opportunity to inspect extracts from
the testimony taken before the pine
land Investigating committee at its ses-
sionS held last week in this city. The
names of the witnesses teStifying be-
fore the committe are not used, but the
evidence is to the effect that the
state has been q loser to a very
large amount in the cutting of pine on
school lands. The object of the testi-
mony was to show that timber has been
cut in much larger quantities than have
been reported to the state authorities.
1t also appears that lands were reported
as having small amount of pine there
on for the purpose of fixing the stump
age values lower than the real value.
The point is also made that timber
would be cut on lands adjoining those
reported as being burned over.
Several witnesses testified that they
saw no logs branded with the mark
'Minn," as required by law, and others
testified that but few were SO marked.
1t appears also that great quantities of
merchantable hard timber have been
cnt when there was only sale of pine,
and, in fact, when the state does not
authorize the cutting of hard timber.
The evidence also shows that after the
investigation was started a number of
persons had gone to the state auditor
and made supplemental reports of logs
cut, implying that they had been scared
by the the threatening attitude Of the
investigators.
THE STATE A HEAVY LOSER.
A surveyor and estimator of pine
lands, who has been in the business
thirty-five years on the st. Croix and its
tributaries principally. testified he was
familiar with section sc, town ~, range
27. The section was bought by William
Sauntry, of Saltwater 1t sold for 50
per thousand feet at private sale. The
only record of the sale is the scaler'S
scale bill. The record in the surveyor
generals office shows that there were
5.991 logs, scaling 719, ,430 feet. In addi.
tion these logs were scaled at the re-
lis, April 4, 1898. Mr.. Sauntry sold the
timber, before It was cut, to Henry
Webster for S4 per thousand. The tim
Der was very close TO the river, was
good, and worth at least SIS per thousand
on the stump at public sale.
81 think the section referred to was
sold irregularly and Illegally" testified
the witness. IL never knew of pine as
we'll situated as that and of equal value
being sold at private sale for 81 per
thousand. never knew of case where
timber was sold at IS per thousand and
an honest report of the amount cut
made to the state auditor. AS matter
of experience and observation, during
the thirty years l have been in the bus
iness, it has been the common practice
to bid in at public sale timber on school
lands at high price for the purpose of
discouraging competition at the bid
ding, the intention and practice being
to make up what they lost thereby by
false and fraudulent scaling.
when working for j. d. Robbins
there had been a fire on section l6; the
report was made to Auditor Braden
that the section had been burned over.
and was sent to scale the logs. What
l scaled amounted to three times the
amount on the bank. Less than a
fourth of the logs scaled showed evil
dence of burning. 1t has been the
case that In many instances per-
sons would buy small piece
of land adjoining school lands,
and when the logs cut on school
lands were scaled, the man who cut
them would show the scaIer logs that
were cut on the school lands and iesig-
nate others as being cut on his own
land. Timber has been sold for 50 when
l know the parties would be glad to
pay $3.50 or IS for it rather than not get
1t. The cutting on indemnity lands was
done indiscriminately."
VALUABLE WOODS STOLEN.
Another witness testified as to scaling
section 16, township SO, range 20 in Pine
county. The amount of oak, Eastwood,
elm, ash, birch, maple, aspen and but
ternut timber cut is given on lands
where there was right to sell pine and
tamarack only. The auditors certifi-
cate shows oak logs cut, but no ash,
birch, maple, aspen or butternut, ell
these having been run in as Eastwood
at 80 cents per thousand. Cutting the
hardwood off these lands hurt their
sale as farm lands. The stumpage value
of this timber is: Oak. So per thousand;
elm, ash, maple, butternut and aspen.
S4 per thousand. The average value of
the whole of the timber cut on this land
IS $3.50 per thousand. He knew a num-
Der of men, he said, that would be glad
to get the timber at So per thousand.
A third witness testified that he had
been surveyor general of Wisconsin for
great many years. In speaking of
sections 16 and 26, township Al, range
16, in Carleton county, on the Nemadji
river, he testified that on section 16 there
were 100000 feet of pine, and on sec
tion Sc there there were 100000 feet.
This timber is worth S3 per thousand on
the stump. On section &c, township So,
range II. there had been report of a
cut of 100000, and second contract
was let to Andy Gowan to cut up to the
100000 claimed to be ON the section.
Witness went there and found that
there was not stick left for GOWan to
cut.
UNDERESTIMATE A MILLION.
A witness who has had an experience
of twenty years as an estimator and
explorer, speaking OF section So. town
ship So, range 26, said: Theu state