The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-09-02
KILL KARE'S TALE
Woodruff Tells of His Big
Adirondack Estate.
STATE COULDN'T BUY LAND.
purant, the Former Owner, He Says,
Wouldn't Sell Until New York Re-
publican Chairman Decided to
Pay s12 an Acre.

Albany, Aug. 30.-Timothy L. Wood
ruff, chairman Of the Republican state
committee, was apparently not pleased
by several of the questions put to him
when he appeared before the Hughes
commission to testify, at his own re-
quest concerning his 1000 acre Kamp
Kill Kare tract in the Adirondacks.
This is the parcel he bought for S12
an acre when he was lieutenant gov
ernor and president, In behalf of the
state, of the forest preserve board.
He said In answer to an inquiry that
the state land purchasing board, when
he was a member as lieutenant gov
ernor, paid S1,5O0 in 1901 to Yelling
ton Kenwell for the latter's interest
and household effects in a twenty room
boarding house on state land eleven
miles from Kamp Kill Kare. After
ward the building was burned by his
order, Woodruff said. He denied his
private fishing preserve, Lake Kora,
was stocked with fish at the states ex-
pense. He said he had built boat
house on state land, but destroyed 1t
MED his son and party Of college stu
dents made the Kenwell house their
summer headquarters.
Woodruff said he and his family and
friends stayed one night in the Ken
well house after the state had paid
Kenwell to vacate. Under further
questioning he said the Kenwell house
had been used by state protector and
his family, who were practically fed
from the Woodruff camp, but Wood
ruff insisted he did not know twenty
beds had been left In the house.
Woodruff said, too, telephone line
had been built from the Kenwell
House to Kamp Kill Kare at public
expense. He asserted the country in
that vicinity covered the head waters
of Moose river and was breeding and
feeding grounds for deer and just the
place to establish a protector to guard
against forest fires as well because
within an area of twenty-five square
miles Of practically virgin forest no
persons were established except in
four or FIVE scattered camps.
Woodruff said the state wanted that
thousand acre tract along with the
rest of Durant's Racquette lake hold
ings, but Durant wouldn't sell the
thousand acre parcel for the reason he
wished to reserve 1t to protect the val
ne of the Durant tracts on Lake Sum
ner (now Lake Kora) and on Lake
Shedd NOW Lake Sagamore). The last
named lake since has passed into the
possession of Alfred G. Vanderbilt. II
was only after Durant and the latter
mans concern, the Forest Park and
Land company, had refused to sell the
thousand acre tract to the state SO
Woodruff averred, that he stepped to
the front and acquired it for his own
private purposes. He paid SO an acre
for the choice bit of wilderness and
lake, he said, as against 81 an acre
paid by the forest preserve board fol-
the almost $4,000 acre tract Of Durant
holdings on Racquette lake.
Woodruff said Governor Black ap
proved the 24,0O0 acre purchase by
Woodruff and his associates for the
state. An expert, Woodruff alleged
had appraised the tract at $4,000, and
It is now valued at S1,OOO,O0O. He de
MED the state ever had a chance to geI
the $4,000 acres for $127 900.
After hearing Woodruff the commits
sioners announced they had concluded
the taking Of oral testimony and thai
they would submit their report tC
Governor Hughes some time mex
month.