The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-11-08
TO BRING SUIT
Port1anders Consult Corvallis Lawyers |
About Their Locations.

Portlanders Consult Corvallis Lawyers
About Their Locations.
The account is that trouble is to
overtake Oscar Stone, the timber To-
Gator who recently led a party of
Portlanders to make filings ontimb-
er1ess woods in Lincoln County.
Two members of the party have
been in Corvallis to look into the
matter, and yesterday noon, accom-
panied by a Corvallis lawyer, they
left for Portland. The statement
is that the lawyer goes to bring an
action at law against Stone for re-
covery of money paid by certain of
the claimants to him for his services
in the timber locations, and pos
sibly for recovery of damages. The
lawyer in the case is w E Yates,
and it is said that well known
Portland lawyer will appear with
him in the case to be brought in
Portland. The claimants who
have been in Corvallis, were Mr.
and Mrs Lawrence. They were.
both with the big party of 50 that
Stone led on a fruit1ess errand and
each paid him 500 for his serv-
ices, The story they tell of their
visit into the woods Of Prairie
mountain corresponds with state
ments heretofore published in the
TIMES on the subject. Unlike some
of the other members of the party,
Mr. and Mrs Lawrence went into
the woods on which they supposed
they were going to file. Mrs
Lawrence rode a horse, and when
she was shown certain timber, she
said that it did not suit Then
she was taken further on. and there
the timber was so fine, that she said
at once, she would locate on that
quarter. Of course that was on
the slopes OF Prairie mountain: but
the location she subsequently made
in the Benton county clerks Office,
under direction of Locator Stone
was in the vicinity of Frank Sites
place, IS or 20 miles away. Mrs
Lawrence says that she was told,
and that all the members of the
party were told that the land on
which they were locating bore
timber to the extent of four mil
lions to eight millions per quarter.
When they arrived in Corvallis
last Wednesday, Mr. and Mrs
Lawrence still supposed that they
had located on the lands that were
shown to them. In Portland,
they had heard that something was
wrong with their filings, and it
was to investigate that they came
to Corvallis. They went at once
to the court house, where Clerk
Moses pointed out to them on the
map the location of the lands on
which they had filed. They were
also shown the location of Prairie
mountain, on which published re-
ports stated that they had visited
From these and other sources of in
formation. they soon made up their
minds that they were beautifully and
effectively fooled. They at once COM
municated by wire with friends, in
Portland, and shortly afterward
visited lawyers Office, and sought
legal advice, with the result that
w E Yates went to Portland with
them yesterday afternoon to bring
the matter into the Portland
courts.
Of course, nothing is known of
the character of the law suit to be
brought in Portland It is Under
stood that it is to be a civil pro-
ceeding for recovery of money paid
to the locator, and possibly for
damages. AS in all suits, the
plaintiffs will probably first ascer-
tain if the locator has property SUBJ
ject to execution, and on which re-
cevery can be made. Should there
be none of course no suit would be
brought, for a judgment without
property to levy on would be
worthless. The suit will probably
be what the lawyers call tin tort"
which is proceeding for breach
of contract in which there was no
written contract, or for deceit, or
Misrepresentation.
It is also a fact that Benton coun-
ty authorities have been consulted
on the subject of bringing criminal