The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-09-19
A TERRIBLE INDICTMENT,
CAN 1T BE TRUE?
Ihe Deaths in the Forest Fires
charged to the Timber Thieves.

The Chicago Times Of Sept. 9th,
says:
Inc Minnesota state senatorial com
mlttee which has been investigating}
Ihe thefts OF pine timber from state
idhos committed by lumber firms and
corporations has found evidence that
Ihe terrible forest fires which recent
~ swept the pine belt, extending from
that state into Wisconsin and Michi-
gan, were started by the agents of the
TIMBER thieves. Scouts emploped bv
Ghe committee have brought good eyi-
dence to show that the agents Of these
predatory corporations started forest
hres IN numerous places for the pur-
pose OF destroying all traces of their
depredatlons and making it impossible
1or the state scouts and guagers to de-
termine from the stumps how much
timber had been cut from the ranges
belonging to the state. These incen-
diary fires, it is said, spread and we're
not extinguished till they had devas-
tated a thousand square miles Of ter
fltory, destroying score of towns, at
ieasta thousand lives, and many mil
lions OF dollars worth Of property.
The Minnesota state laws against
TIMBER stealing are severe. but if it
can De proved that the fires which
destroyed Hinckley, Sandstone, and
dozen or SO other pOpulouS towns and
resulted in the death of many hun
dred Of people were started by agents
OF the timber thieves, it is not for the
larceny Of the pine alone but for man.
slaughter that every man to whom can
De traced connection with the opera
tlons OF the thieves should be prose-
cuted. And the prosecution for man
slaughter should take precedence of
tnat Tor the lesser utfenSe. Even
though these men did not intend to
destroy human life, they took no pre-
cautions against doing Sc, and they
were perfectly we'll aware that fires
started in the woods at this season Of
the year could not fail to spread over
an extensive territory and occasion
great danger to the people living in
the little towns situated in the heart
OF the forest. They did not scruple to
burn up millions of dollars worth of
valuable timber belonging to the pub
lie domain in their efforts to cover the
traces OF their nefarious operations,
and it is not likely that they cared
whether human lives were destroyed
by the conflagra tion or not.
Swift punishment should be meted
or starting these incendiary fires and
for the future the states Of Minneso-
ia, Wisconsin, and Michigan should
maintain closer espionage of the for
estS. whether Of private or public OWN
erShlp. in order that both property
and lives may be protected"
We hope for the sake of our common
humanity that this story is not true.
We are chairman Of the Pine Land n
vestigating Committee referred to,
and we have not heard of any evidence
to sustain the charge 1t is true that
some months since the testimony Of
witnesses showed that efforts were be-
ing made to burn over sections which
had been plundcred. 50 that the
stumps and tops would be destroyed,
and no further scaling would be pos
sible. On one section fires were
kindled three times.
1t may be that some other member
Of the committee may have obtained
some such evidence as the Times
speaks of, that the recent holocaust Of
human lives was due to similar at
tempts to screen robbery. If it be SO
an awful, hellish responsibility is on
the guilty ones: and if caught there is
no death horrible enough for them.
/. ID.