The Detroit times., 1910-11-23
STORY OF
7--YEAR WAR At
CAMERON DAM
John Deitz Was offered $500 Fer His
Property, But Refused To Sell, =
and Dared Lumber Company
To Take Possession.
Some deputy Sherifs Tried! To &c
Brave, But Were Overcome
BY Fright,
sy RAYMOND EVANS.

HAYWARD. Wis. Nov. M GER
tain Mrs. Cameron, a widow, owned
five "forties" on ThornapIhe creek.
On this tract was located dam ouiit
for driving purposes. Mr.. Cameron
having neglected 10 pay taxes on this
tract one year. the Chippewa Lumber
a. Boom Co secured one Of tire forties
by taking up the tax certific ates. H.
was then believed that the SLam was
located on this forty. Thereby hangs
the story@of Cameron dam --
Mrs. Cameron sought TO red eem ~
forty, as she had a right To unb er
the law, but the company. IL seems,
threatened her with a long legal bat
tie. and she chose 10 let the land go
rather than go 10 the expense Cd fight
Ing the case through the courtss She
paid the back taxes on the other four
forties of the tract. secured Pa clear
title and sold the land to- Mrs. -lDeitz.
It's an interesting sidelight m his
wife's name all processes ser wed on
Deitz were legally without en'sct.
Wouldn't Sell for $500.
Wren the Deitz property Wits sur
veyed IL was found that part OF the
dam. was on his land. The company
then had the lines run and the resur-
pey gave Deitz even more OF the dam
than had his owIn survey. The true
line runs about the middle 'of the
creek.
The company acknowledged the
corn and offered John Deftz $500 TO
waive all title TO the Use OF the dam.
'CThe company claims, however, that
the rights In the dam were never re-
served In the deeds Deitz holtls).
The legal toll-on logs driven over
a dam. Is To- cents Ter thousand feet.
Deitz had II. figure d out, thai some
thing like eighty million feet OF tim
Der had gone over his dam in the
time he had been in possession OF the
property. Naturally I've wouldn't set
tie for $500.
The lumber company secured a tenn
porary injunction enjoining Deitz from
interfering with the driving of logs
over the mooted point. The llaid OF
Cameron dam was in earnest.
That was nearly seven years ago
From that date To the eighth or DC
.tober OF this year. John Ileitz held the
dam against3all corners.
From the start Deitz deliberately
chose to trust In his Winchester rath'
er that in the north Wisconsin Courts
He knew that the corporation with
which he was- sighting was affiliated
with the weyerhauser INTERESTS. He
knew what that meant.
No Faith in Courts.
He knew that his opponent could
command money without limit. could
carry. any litigation to lengths that
would. make IL impossible for him to
win, even II his quarrel were altogeth-
er just and the courts wholly incor-
riptible and unbiased. For John Deitz
didn't have any money TO spend in
long-dra out litigation.
So he chose To be an outlaw.
Whether he chose wisely or not Is a
question that must needs be looked
at in longer perspective than that In
which IL appears now before 1t can be
settled with any degree OF certainty.
But that he chose heroically is beyond
reasonable question.
The story of the seven years strug-
BILE over Cameron dam runs the whole
gamut from farce-comedy 10 tragedy.
II involves the story of how a snort
ing COW, with tail in air, unconscious
ly won the soubriquet OF 'Deitz's
scout"--and or how grievpusly
wounded man, deserted by cowardly
companions. crawled through the
trackless woods for two days and
nights. suffering agony unspeakable
from exposure and wounds.