New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-16
STATE TIMBER THEFTS.
iTreo Protectors accused Of Taking
$500 from Lumber Dealers.

u
tc,osures have been made as to how some of the
Estate game protectors hay" been pro'ee, %
ish. forests in the Adirondacks, ana they Ha
- obo,,t through the arrest OF Harvey N
s.,s,,lors one Of the protectors, whose nome -
- -,.,r,,, lewis County Gaylord is now IN 'he
-, =. +bis civ. where he is held under hea'S
-, so- snnearance before the next grano JURY
lrTe IS charged with grand larceny.
~r.-rsnt has been issued also for the arrest
- --otActor Charles A. Hlock OF Falrneiu'
ra.-b.raer County, and as Kiock Is supposed -
be On one of the Western States an S''e"'p'
VIII be made 10 bring him back here on requ-
-. ,.o-.rr KIork disappeared from his
home August last and with him went MISS
Carrie Barnes a young woman VINO hVed III INC
neighborhood Klock is married, has one emu
and was generally respected IN the coihhuui'S'
His wife thought that he was away on business
for the State for several days and so ne anu
sbe Farnes girl had considerable start before
their elopement was suspected. 1t mas since
hesn learned that they visited several Canadian
ctti.s sn6 then went to Chicago. where they re-
trneined a couple Of weeks. Then the Barnes
girl went to the home of half-sister in Wis
sconsin and letter was written to her parents
Asaying that she was coming home.
The State Department Of Forest, Fish and
Game investigated Klock's affairs and found
that he had apparently kept his accounts cor
frectIv and So after a few weeks he was
moved from the department by dismissal
I investigations, however, had been under way
fsince last June, when John K. Ward Deputy
i-Attorney General, was placed in charge Of vio-
sjations Of the statute in regard to the forest
spreser7e. Mr.. Ward has been working
fnumber Of cases. and he has accomplished
Isreat work in bringing offenders to brook and
isn stopping timber poaching on the State lands.
81 number Of cases have been taken TO the
kcourts. and in several instances judgment has
fbeen- confessed and the State has received large
ssums of moneS.
Mr.. Ward discovered that extensive cutting
was going on on the Noblesborough Patent, in
the town of Forestport, and when he made in
saestigation he found that the firms which
cutting the timber claimed authority TO do so
from the State. He knew that no such authority
could be given under the constitution, which
provides that the lands of the State preserve
must remain wild forest lands forever, and that
mo timber shall DE sold therefrom. He continued
with two receipts, one for So, $50, and the other
Tor S4.UON apparently given by Gaylord and
rhiock ana signed fy them as state game pro
tectcrs, Tor money paid by Syphert x HarrIg
and by James Gallagher, for permission TO cut
about four thousand cords of spruce logs on GER
tam lots belonging to the State, which were
named in the receipts 1t was estimated by Mr.
Ward and several men whom he took with him
fover the tract that several times this quantity
s1he tracts named
Mr.. Ward came before the district Attorney Of
sOneida County and swore out warrants for the
arrest Of Gaylord and klock. Gaylord was ar
Tested and Klock is being looked for.
The evidence obtained from the Forestport
lumber dealers who were cutting the timber IS
that they met Gaylord and Klock in this city in
August and paid them the S7,750 in cash in the
ST. James Hotel. and that the receipts were
then passed. No part of this money ever was
turned over to the State In fact, it could not
be received by the State in payment for timber
10 cut such timber There has been a practice |
of allowing timbs' poaChers to confess judg-
i1nent in cases where their offeuse became so ap-
parent that ii could no longer be kept from the
public. They would appear before some JUS
tice Of the peace, confess Judgment to a small
amount for the trespass that had been made
and the timber cut, and it would be received.
Then the cutting would go till 1t again
no longer possible TO keep quiet, and then there
might be another confession and another small
payment. This Governor Higgins and Forest,
Fish and Game Commissioner Whipple are de-
stermined to stop, as they are also determined TO
stop the cutting of timber by any persons, rich
or poor upon State lands.
Though Gaylord pleaded not guilty and was
held for the grand jurv it is understood that
he does deny excuse the acceptance of
snoney from the Forestport lumber dealers. The
lsumbermen themselves realize that they stand
En dangerous position. and they have been
willing to give all the information possible.
fThey have lost their 81 $50 and they have moth
eng but the receipts TO show for 1t. They can
Enot remove any OF the timber from the tract.
NOR the State dispose of II to any one else.
ut must rot where It has been cut.
There is some belief that all Of this money did
<1ot stop with Klock and Gaylord or that this
Us the only case in which similar transactions
have been carried Indeed, it is boldly said
fthat numerous cases Of this nature the
trerge of being unearthed and that hundreds of
thousands of dollars have been paid by timber
poachers for protection at the hands of the
State officials.
? Commissioner whipple was here for short
lSiuae on Saturday and went north. He is very
earnest IN his efforts TO prosecute the men who
Rsiu leave no stone unturned 10 bring about
9heir punishment.