The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-26
PINE LAND PIRATES
THEY HAVE BEEN ACTIVE IN THE
NEW TOWNSHIPS UP
NORTH
STATE TIMBER WELL WATCHED
Ihe MOST serious Depredations Have
Been Upon Sections Held by the
Government Large Lumber
Companies Have a Small ARMY oe
cruisers on Guard Railway
Companies Are Also Alert,

BRAlNERD, Mimi, March 25-(Spe-
1al.)-Timber thieves have been reapine
harvest in Crow Wing, Cass, Beltrami
and neighboring counties this season. and
have caused the mills and lumber COM
panfes considerable trouble.
The Pine Tree Lumber company, T. B.
Walker, q. w. Backus, the Gulf River
Lumber company and others have had a
small army of cruisers securing the coun-
try In this vicinity all winter. but despite
their vigilance some heavy trespass
losses nave been reported. A popular
method of operating by timber pirates Is
to get into some out Of the way place,
cut the timber and when spring comes
burn the works." thus making detec-
ton impossible unless the trespass Is dis
covered before the snow leaves the
ground. Even then it is quite difficult
to prove conclusively the Identity of the
operators, as they are very careful not
to leave any Of their marks in the woods.
In most cases they are irresponsible par
ties, and frequently the big mills have
to pay for trespasses of timber which
have been purchased by them in good
faith
Along the Brainerd & Northern Mime
sofa and Fosston branch Of the Great
Northern the pirate operators have cut
great deal Of pine and successfully
disposed of it. O. o. Winter general
manager of the Brainerd & Northern
Minnesota. has reported two cases which
have come to his notice In his official
capacity. Mr.. Winter said: II have heard
great deal Of late about timber being
stolen and haUa hod
along this line during the season in con-
tracing for ties. The contractor deliv-
cred the ties according to agreement on
the right OF way some distance up the
road. Shortly after complaint was
made by lumber company that the logs
used in making the ties had been taken
from land owned by it some miles up the
country. In such cases we are held re-
sponsible. Another similar complaint re-
ceiVed a few days later led me to in
vestigate the matter, and for our own sal
walton In the future we will let no more
work to contractors without first receiv-
Ing sufficient bond. think the other
roads are doing the same thing"
j. M. Nevers gave it as his opinion that
the Indians on the reservation had been
better protected this year than in the
past. AS to the big companies operating
IN this vicinity, he said, they left no
stone unturned to protect themselves
from loss from trespasss but with all
their efforts timber was stolen every win
ter The Pine Tree Lumber company
ano others, said Mr.. Nevers "use their
mill crews during the winter in the
woods. in addition to their regular cruis-
ers, and the railroad companies enlist
the services of the men in charge of the
section to look after their stumpage.
With all the lumbermen who own pine
1t requires constant care to protect them
selves from timber trespass There seems
to have been good deal of it this WIN
ter"
Mayor j. FL. Koop, of Brainerd, was
also seen and stated that he knew of
case OF unintentional trespass in Aitken
county. where the state had discovered it
within a short time after and the lumber