The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-04

EWholesale plundering of state timber
land about the headwaters of the Mis-
sissippi during 1901 and 1902 has been
developed by recent Investigations of
the attorney generals department, and
papers are now being prepared in sever
al big trespass suits that will soon be
fled 49,
SThe state timber board is back Of the
Investigation. G. S. Jelley, special coun-
sci in the attorney generals depart
ment, visited Park Rapids last week
and took the testimony of a large num-
Der of settlers who have had personal
knowledge Of the trespass. Most Of
them had helped to cut the timber I'M
der contract for the big lumber compa-
MES which will be named as Defend
ants in the suits. On their statements
the suits are being brought. The mat
tiers came to light because of private
litigation between Bonness & Howe Of
Minneapolis and two other firms, Rumph
81 Phruden Of Saltwater and OFT &
Musser Of Dubuque, Iowa. The other
companies needed evidence as TO the
logging operations in question, and had
Park Rapids men cover the whole ter
ritory, securing statements from small
contractors and settlers. They inter-
viewed 500 men, it is claimed, with
more and less knowledge of the tres
passes, and seventytwo were subponaed
TO testify in the suits. Some of these
same men have already furnished the
state valuable information. The whole
section Of country is stirred up over
the matter. -
School Lands Affected.
THE Park Rapids Enterprise has taken
the.subject up and investigated some of
the cases. It promises serial story,
and this weeks issue gives the salient
facts in four of the cases. Each case
covers a section of school land from
which timber is alleged to have been
cut without authority. In two Of the
cases9fa settlement was made, but for
less than the amount Of timber alleged
to have been cut. : 80 IL
It is understood that only one case
comes within the three-year limit, so
the statute of limitations in criminal
cases will run against the rest and the
state can only recover actual value on
them. This, it is claimed, will amount
to large sums.
The following resume of the four
easessis given by the Park Rapids
paper:
80 Sec. 36-141-3S.
This. section is crossed by a railroad
over which a state cruiser working in
this locality passed a number of times
during the winter of 1912.
"a reliable resident Of the county is
prepared to testify that under contract
with Bonness & Howe during the winter
Of 1902 he cut from this section and
banked on the railroad right of way,
from which they were afterward hauled
by train, 425, 900 feet Of pine. Accord
ing to the records in the state auditor S
office the pine is still standing on this de-
scriptfon.
a year later a nefghbor of the settler
who under contract cut the above, cut
5000 feet of logs from section 36, in this
same town, to be used in building cab
In on his claim, and the foresaid cruiser
nabbed him quick, but 425,00O In which
Bonfess & Hove were. Interested have
not yet been discovered missing. The
blindness of certain state cruisers can
not be fully appreciated by those on the
outside until their relations in certain
daEaetions are understood.
Why this cruiser, working under the
direction of the state auditor. should re-
port a trespass of 5000 feet of logs made
by q settler for the improvement of his
claim, and fail to report trespass of