The Minneapolis journal., 1904-05-05
Total valuation Observation-Disclosures IS, ,351.(
The stumpage record shows fns
attlannants rnada q g follows.
Apparently Willful Trespass.

The trespass on 16-6S-2O was scaled
by James P. Mitchell and S. F. Fuller
ton, who made a report on it, but their
report is not on file. Both were sworn
as witnesses by the public examiner,
and their testimony is in the govern
or's hands. Mitchell testified that the
trespass was plainly willful. The en-
tire section was cut, except some tim
ber that was small, and he probably
thought wasn't worth taking The
logs cut would run about 16 to
thousand, and similar timber was
bringing $3.50 a thousand in that vi
cinity. Fullerton testified that timber,
not SO well situated sold for So. He
said Buckman made no claim that 1t
was an accident, but said to him and
to Mr.. Dunn that his men had used
long ak handles and got over the line.
Buckmani said their scale was too
high, and it was rescaled by w. S.
Dedon, the head cruiser.
Mr.. Dedon was also examined. He
said in his testimony that the Buck
man trespass was willful, and in an
swer to questions admitted that treble
value should have been charged.
A Cheap Compromise.
/ According to the Mitchell and Full
4 for all these lots was SO a thousand,
or $S,4S4,26 for the entire trespass Of
2,S28,094 feet. Taking treble value
for the willful trespass, the settlement
should have been for s25.452.S4. In
stead of this, Auditor Dunn settled
with the future congressman for
$4,000, or less than the cruisers es-
Inmates on file, Of the value Of the
| timber.
The stumpage record book shows
that the timber left on 16-6S-2O was
sold Nov. IA, 1900 for $2.25 a thou
sand.
Trespassers With a s'Pull."
The cruisers testified concerning
several other similar trespass cases,
and both Mitchell and Fullerton testi-
fed that when they were all in camp,
Dedon, the head cruiser, often COM
planned that trespassers who had a
"pull" could get out Of it easy. He
mentioned T. r. Foley of Aitkin, and
Senator Buckman, saying, ''he could
get out of trespass easy Fullerton
/ defended Dunn, and they had a good
many arguments.
Mitchell testified to scaling a tres
pass by T. r. Foley on Sec. 16-138-25.
Foley had bought the section, but
they found he had made two landings.
| The logs at one landing did not have
the state stamp on. They scaled it all
but the scale at the auditors office
was just about one-half Of what they
got. The half found without the state
mark was q case of trespass, and
should have been settled for at tres
pass rates. Instead, it was never paid
for at all. The state only received
money for the logs that were marked.
The lumberman got the logs he neg
1ected to mark for nothing, tho dis
covered in the act by the state cruis-
! erS. i& tt
Sixty seven Cases Summarized.
Another report transmitted to Gov
ernor Van SAINT under date of April
l20 gives the records Of 81 cases of
trespass from the books Of the state
auditor, with copies Of letters written
by the state auditor, showing his
is shown the value placed on the tim
ber by the examiner, the proper
trespass settlement under the law, and
i the amount actually received by the
state. #
The total value Of the stumpage as
testimated by the state cruisers was
! Is40,207.17. The settlements made by
! Auditor Dunn actually realized just
i $40,376,44, SO that the penalty on
4 these sixty-seven cases amounted to
just $169.27. It is charged that
practically all the cases were wilful
! trespasses, so that the settlements
should have. been for. over s12O, 900;
but the best settlement the law all
lows the state authorities to make is
double the appraised value, which
lwou1d have been S80,414.34, making
over $4,000 short Of the amount alb
solutely required to be collected by
/ law.
Fourteen Of the 81 cases were set
! tied without the formality of an ap-
4 praisa1, as required by the law Of 1896.
1.-The aggregate values reported by
i the examiners were $5,786, and settle
Iments were made on that basis. The
Estate should have received not less
II than double that amount. 5.
The report includes forty type
written pages of transcript from the
Htrecords Of the trespass books, and cor
Frespondence on the cases mentioned.
More Easy Settlements.
The first case IS OF 3zs cedar poles,
Il