The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-08-10
LANDED IN JAIL.
Deputy United States Marshal II. A.
Smith Makes an Important
Arrest.
A Timber Land Schemer Placed Be
hind the Bars.

|
liam Jahnson, alias John McFadden.
The arrest was made on the receipt
of O. Telegram from Marshal Grady,
the charge being perjury" connected
with some land dealings at the Oregon
city land office. Woods is wanted at
Oakland, California, where several
months ago he carried on extensive
fraudulent land locating operations. OF
late he has been endeayoring to locate
parties on timber lands in. this county
and across the river in Pacific county.
Deputy Smith has been looking out for
him for several weeks past, and day
or two ago, learning that the man he
wanted was working up timber claim
locations" out on the Nehalem, tele-
graphed the United States marshal for
the necessary papers to arrest him.
Luckily, yesterday, morning, Woods
came into the city on horseback, os-
tensibly to do little business, and
before his departure Deputy Smith had
him under arrest and behind the bars
of the county JAIL
Once in Pacific county he tried to
work the same racket and succeeded
In filling his pockets to the extent OF
several hundred dollars, from various
parties who took UP with his scheme.
C. c. Pratt, proprietor of the Central
Hotel, at Ilwaco, was yictimized to the
extent of $780, and when he found that
he was not the only mourner, he be-
gan to lay plans to get hold of Woods
and try and make him disgorge, as he
was always known to be well supplied
with money. Securing the services of
j. j. Voorhees, he sent him to Portland,
where Woods had gone, and instructed
him to get into the confidence of the
land locator. This Voorhees, managed
to do, on the plea that he wished to
get hold of some timber lands, and
Woods was just the man that could
do It, TO make a long story short,
they came to Astoria, Voorhees, going
to Ilwaco and notifying Pratt of his
snuccess, and Woods to the Nehalem
country to look up some lands.
In the meantime Pratt was skirmish-
ing around hunting up evidence
when arrested, to confront him with it
and try and get him to hand over at
least a portion of the money that he
had been bllked out Of This, however,
l,a ho 20 do hot fIa
entire sum of money found on the
prisoner when searched at the county
Jail. Just how many people he has
been able to land in Astoria with his
Misrepresentation is not known, but
probably not many, as his operations
here have been confined to the last few
days.
The following from the Oakland Trib-
une of April 4th, shows his method of
obtaining money:
"The following article appeared In the
Daily Humboldt Times. of Eureka:
John Woods, of Tacoma, Wash, is
no more; that Is, he is no longer in
Humboldt, but he is doubtless some
where on earth wearing a handsome
fire opal pin and a Grand Army button,
and posing as the benefactor of the
poor. Mr., Woods came here in an un-
ostentations way and established HIM
self at Arcata very quietly. He man
aged to intimate, however. that he
was engaged In the timber business,
and was the agent for some Washing
ton capitalists, who were coming on
the heels of Mr.. Woods and his fire
opal to develop the country and Incl
dentally benefit the poor people who
had few dollars to pay him GMr,
Woods) The scheme that Mr.. Woods
exp,olnted was to get maps OF quan-
tity OF vacant land on the South Fork
Mountain, in Trinity county, and locate
people thereon,
For his services Mr.. Woods was to
receive $50, ss5, or anything he could
get, for that matter, and then the
bloated capitalists We're to purchase
the claims from the locators at an ad-
vance of s4OO Mr., Woods would sup
ply the money required to prove up on
each tract of $500, and as soon as proof
was made, the company stood ready to
pay $500 advance thereon.
"The scheme worked nicely. and Mr..
Woods induced Thomas McGcwan,
James Hennessey Stirling p. Cunning
ham. William ]. Whalen, and James ].
Brophy, of Arcata. William II. Brown,
of Freshwater, and Mrs. Sarah Young,
Of Eureka, to take up land. These
parties he located on the valuable co
timber land Of South Fork Mountain,
and they filed their applications in the
United States Land Office. But Mr..
Woods was not yet through, there were
others who had money, and from these
he obtained $40 installment on his
fee, he agreeing to 60 with them to
the land, which looked very attractive
on the black and red maps.
1.-THE law requires that parties who
take up timber land shall visit II and
swear that they have found Il more
valuable for It's timber than for agri-
cultural purposes. and that II contains
no mineral deposits. But Mr.. Woods
was superior to the law. and as II is
a long way to South Fork. and the
water was high. he induced one OF the
party OF his dupes to make a start.
saying It would be sufficient. they could |
swear they visited the land and no
one would dispute them The party got
as far as the north foris Of Mad river.