The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-04
FIGHT FOR LAND ENTRIES.
TiAhereA Hsnesteaas In snsAenisA
County Are Involved.

TinheFed Henesteaas IN SneAenish
County Are Involved.
There is q very neat little Tight going on
for the possession Of some valuable tim
Der lands in Snohomish county. The his
tory of the case Is about as follows:
In April, 1885. some thirty-five claimants
filed regularly on homestead entries In Sec
tion 90 township 81. range east. The en-
tries were all made out in regular form.
the proofs duly forwarded to the general
ONCE, and SO far rs the local land once
was concerned. there was no semblance Of
irregularity. After the entries had been
forwarded to the general land once. how
ever. ii appears that some one forwarded
a complaint to that ONCE, and the result
was that the general land ONCE at Wash
fngton. d. c.. sent out an expert to inves-
tigate the matter.
The man sent out by the department. was
f. w. Dixon. one Of the most competent
and trusted men IN the employment oe the
department. He came to Seattle, went to
Snohomish county. and after q thorough
examination OF both the local records and
the lands involved he made hts report TO
the general ONCE. No one outside Of that
ONCE knows precisely what that report
was. but from the fact that no action has
been taken adverse to the original entries.
1t IL fair to assume that t was favorable
to them. So far as the local land ONCE
has any information the original entries
are now awaiting their turn to be patent
ed.
In fact. oalcdals In the local land once
are inclined to think that II any other is-s
sue OF the case we're probable. some inves-
tigation would have been ordered by the
general ONCE to be held here. The famous
case OF the Bailey Aiger entries - cited ~
being In point. The decision on those eha
tries was rendered by Secretary Of the In
terror Hoke Smith. 1t involved a large
number or land entries In Skagit county.
canceling the original entrieA The main
point about the decision now 10 that II was
rendered only after an Investigation had
been ordered IN the local once. No such
investigation has been ordered with refer
ence to the Snohomish county lands.
There IL little doubt that an effort 10 go
ing to be made. or ie now making, TO con-
test the Snohomish county entries. Some
intifnation OF this may be gathered from
the following advertisement which appear.
ed in the want" columns Of the Post.rn-
telligencer:
Wanted Thirty homesteaders TO contest timber
entries in Snohcmish county heretofore entered b.
Apply 4 once Il Il. Yora P Sa"ea - '0'
Taking its clew from this advertisement
the Everett News recently printed a long
story to the effect that the time for proving
up on the entries involved had now ar
rived that some OF those who flied the
original entries has become dissatisfied with
their bargain" and were not going to
prove up on the lands: and that Seattle
attorney, George Morrill,. having been in
formed OF the status OF these lands. had
inserted this advertisement In the Post
Intelligencer; that he would locate thirty
men on these claims. who would leave Seat
tie for Snohomish county at once. and that
he would fight their cases for them before
the land Office when the locators appeared
to prove up. on payment Of $75 each, which
would 60 TO him as an attorneys fee.
Ii is generally conceded that the lands
involved are rich and heavily timbered.
While II has been charged that all the
original entries were made IN the interest
Of w. G. Butler. Of the Puget Sound Reduc-
ton Company. there 10 no evidence OF such
a deal on the records OF the local land
ONCE. and one Of the best posted men In
the ONCE yesterday expressed 1t as his
confident belief that the original entries
would be patented In due time. III IL were
not the intention of the general ONCE to
issue patents on these lands" said he. II
think we would have had notice Of their
intention long ago.