The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-10-06
ABUSE OF PUBLIC
TRUST ALLEGED
PROMINENT CITIZENS OF THIS
COUNTY INVOLVED
John l.. Murray and e. w. Harrison
Implicated In Alleged Question:
able Timber Land Entries In Skae.
1T County--Cla1ms Costing 81 600
Sold for $4,000.


Sold for $4,000.
II nCCORDING to the Seattle Post
- Intelligencer of the 1st inst. .
number of employees Of the state land
commissioners Office under the ad-
ministration of Commissioner Call
vert, including John L. Murray and
e. W. Harrison, Of this county, are
charged with gross abuse OF their Of
fetal positions in connection with the
location, purchase from the govern
ment and subsequent sale of certain
timber lands in Skagit county, title
to which it is alleged to have been the
duty Of the land office to acquire for
the state under its grant from the
federal government for schools Of
higher education. The Post-Intelli-
gencer says:
An investigation is threatened concern
ing the state office of the commissioner Of
public lands during the administration Of
s. A. Calvert from Jan. l, 1901, until Jan.
8, 1905. The matter under investigation
just now is the location of certain lands in
township 80, north range 7 east, being in
Skagit county, on the Skagit-Snohomish
line. The particular tract is said to con-
tain some of the finest timber standing in
The plat of the land shows that choice
portions of the township were located by
many employees of the state Office of tho
of public lands. The lands
located by them have since been sold to
the English Logging Company for con-
of $l4 900. That portion located
by the land office employees is almost
surrounded by the land Sc
lected by the state.
It is alleged by those interested in the
of the matter that the en-
plCyees of the state land Office had ad-
vance knowledge of the character of the
lands to be selected by the state, and were
enabled to anticipate the state selections
and get the cream of that township
when it was orened to entry. Some Of
the entries were made during the late fall
of 1901, but the employees of the state land
Office made their selec-
tions in the summer of 1902.
(This statement is incorrect. The states
selections were made late in December,
1901 and the private locations in question
on the 7th of January, 19O2.-Ed.]
Attorney Alpheus Byers, of this city.
has been retained by interests which he
refuses to divulge, to investigate these
entries and to lay the facts before United
States District Attorney Heney at PORT
land, if investigation shows facts to war
rant such an action.
Mr.. Byers is quoted as saying:
81 am acting as an attorney in this mat
ter. Regarding the identity OF some OF
the persons who located lands in town.
ship 80, north range east, the public can
see as far into stone wall rs can.
I am informed that the timber belt In
question contains some of the finest stand
ing timber in the state. 1t is also evldent
that the state selections border those Of
the men who were formerly connected
with the state office of the commissioners
Of public lands"
It appears from the Post-Intelli-
article that six employees OF
G Commissioner Callvert's Office were
Involved in the alleged. conspiracy to
d ,fraud the state. The lands were
cruised by E. w. Harrison and it was
upon his report that bis fellow en-
ployees acted in joining with him IN
making their locations. His own in
in the deal we're acquired IN
the name Of his brothers, the late w.
W. Harrison and DIR. l. N. Harrison,
as shown by the map which accom-
panies the Post-Intelligencer article
Four Of the choicest quarter sections,
in solid body mile square, were
acquired by the Harrison Brothers.
W. F. Calvert and J. L. Murray up
on payment Of $4OO each. For these
claims the locators realized $l4, ,OOO. =
Henry Smith, register Of the Seattle
land Office, obtained the quarter sec
tion ado ming that Of DR.. Harrison
% the east, and D. N. Donnelly, .
Skagit county politician and friend q
Mr.. Smith, got the claim to the north
Df the doctors, state selections bor- !.
dering it upon the other three Sides
Lumbermen who have investigated
the situation say that the only prac
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