St. Paul daily globe., 1894-02-21

Legislative Pine Land Fraud
Committee Bringing the Re-
| suits OF Its Investigations to q
Practical Head-Two Suits Be-
gun in Ramsey County and
One in Itasca County.
The GLOBE stated couple Of weeks
ago that actions were about to be COM
menced growing out of the investIga-
ton of the pine land investigating
committee of the legislature. The
special committee made long investl-
CATION which satisfied them that
a number of lumber firms and men
had converted to their use about 0,OOo,-
| 600 of pine timber in Itasca and other
counties of the state. This amount was
ascertained as far as the investigation
had gone, and the committee believes
that further inquiry will develop
| further encrOachments on the prop
erty of the state. Senator Leavitt
and Representatives McGrath and
Staples were designated as sub-com-
mlttee to begin actions against such Of
the alleged offenders as they deemed
advisable. Harris Richardson, of this
city. was employed TO assist Attorney
General Childs in prosecuting the suits.
The committee has begun three actions
against alleged offenders.
Two actions have been commenced In
| the district court of Ramsey county
| 10 T ,fNnr
and one has been commenced in the
district court OF Itasca county against
| the Akeley Lumber company.
! In one of the actions begun in this
city the Itasca Lumber company is
charged with an unlawful conversion Of
| 100000 feet OF pine logs worth s64, 900.
1t Is alleged that this piue was unlaw-
| fully cut from state lands In ltasca
county DESIGNATED as section 16, town
| ship 55. range %. 1t is alleged that the
timber was cut between November,
1892, and April, 1898.
In the other action begun in this
county against the Itasca L umber com.
pany 1t is alleged that pine timber was
wrongfully cut from state lands in
Itasca county designated as section Sc.
township So. range 26, and that it is
valued at $l0.500.
1t seems that the Itasca Lumber COM
| pany is not incorporated in this state,
but is an Illinois corporation, as ap-
pears by the state gazetteer. The com
pany has an office in the Lumberman's
Exchange of Minneapolis. and the off,
GERS are designated as II. G. Akeiey,
president, and S. b. Barker, secretary
and treasurer.
The action begun in ItaSca county is
against the Akeley Lumber company.
: This complaint charges the conversion
of pine timber from section So, town
ship Sc, range 26, aud section 16, town
ship 55, range %, being part of the
school lands in Itasca county. 1t is
alleged in this complaint that timber
had been sold to the defendant
and permit issued by "State Auditor
| w. w. Braden OH the 18th day of Sep.
tember, 1890, at tie city of st. Paul,
which pretended to sell to said defend
ant all the pine timber on said lands at
the price of s2 per thousand feet. board
measure, for section Sc and 325 for
section 1917
1t is alleged that the appraisals of
timber afterwards made were not made
according to law, but were falsely made
| in that they were Inaccurate as to the
quantity of timber actually cut. 1t was
reported as to section SO that there were
only 125, COO feet of pine timber, valued
at S1.25 per thousand feet, when, as a
matter of fact, there were about 1,500,- !
| 600 feet of good merchantable pine
timber standing and growing on the
land, reasonably worth and of the value !
of at least $3.50 per 1000 feet, and that
| in relation to section 16 il was stated;
that there were 2.450,O0O feet of pine
| timber on the section, valued at 80 per
1000, when as matter of fact there
were s, 9,O00,00O feet Of good, merchant
able pine timber on the land, reasen-
ably worth 81 per 1000 feet"
1t is alleged that Mr.. Braden as audi
tor never submitted an estimate of the
| appraisals to the governor or to the
treasurer of the state and pine Ian d
commissioner as required by law.
Neither was there ever a report by
Auditor Braden or state officials tn at
1t would be desirous or advantageous
to sell the pine taken by the
Ackley Lumber company mentioned in
the complaint. as contemplated by law,
but that the pretended permit was not
sufficient to warrant the Ackley Lum-
Der company to cut timber as it did. 1t
is alleged that the logs cut by the Ack-
ley Lumber company "from section So
were worth 81 thousand, and on sec
tion l6 are worth IS. The defendant
has never cut any timber from section
16, but refuses to surrender the permit"
After it became plain to the pine land
sharks that the legislative committee
meant business and would push the
matter in the way OF actions some of
the alleged offenders have made propo-
SitionS to settle. and have offered money
for pine that they have admitted to
have unIawfully cut from state lands
and converted 10 their own use.