The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-10-08
DEFIES STATE,
HOLDS HIS DAM
Dietz Won't Give in to Company and
Resists Local and Even Fed
eral Power.

Chippewa Falls, Wis, Oct. S.-John +.
Dietz, outlaw against all the power of
the state OF Wisconsin and even against
the threatened power of the United
States, is "the story OF the outlaw of
Cameron dam"
Since the spring Of 1904 Dietz has held
the Cameron dam He has deiied the
Chippewa Falls Lumber and Boston com
pany, the local branch Of the 81 ,O00,-
100000 Weyerhauser lumber interests
he has laughted at court DEGREES and
thought suits a joke.
In the summer he has maintained a
farm in the clearing and titled his land
rifle in hand In the winter he has
trapper flm.bearing animals and has had
a teacher at his home for his children.
In times OF tacit truce be has visited
Chippewa Falls and other towns, and
even shaken hands with officers who had
previously sought to arrest him.
To-day, Dietz home, on little tongue
Of land near the dam he has fought for
six years, is under FIRE from al sides
The quarrel between Dietz and the
Weyerhsuser lumber interests began in
1908 but did not reach open hostility
till a year later
Dietz made claim to money he alleged
was due him from the Chippewa Lumber
& Boston company on several counts
He alleged first of all that he had
81 600 due him for services to the com.
pany The company Offset this claim
by showing a receipt in full bearing
Dietz' signature and covering payment
for all services rendered the company
by Dietz.
The backwoods fighter had another
claim, which was the real nucleus Of the
controversy. He, or his wife, held title
to an s0-acre tract of Wisconsin timber
land. On this tract, or within its survey,
is the Cameron dam.
The Cameron dam was essential to the
lumber company, or rather its assigns,
it having transferred it's title TO the
dam TO the Mississippi River Logging
company an Iowa corporation
In 1904 Diet1 made claim against
Chippewa Falls company for something
like 5000 toll for logs driven through
the dam, which, he claims, is his prop
erty This claim was in addition to the
81 900 claimed for services The COM
pany refused to pay the amount claimed
for toll, asserting Dietz had no legal
right TO claim toll. 1t did offer the set.
tier $500 for unobstructed use OF the
Cameron dam, in the interest Of peace,
rather than as an acknowledgment Of
the Justice of Dietz' claim. The offer
was refused the dam was kept open
by Dietz and the lumber company soon
had 20000000 logs high and dry and
rotting on the banks of the Thornapple
river
Various attempts were made to cap.
ture Dietz, but he always was too wary,
and he shot several deputy sheriffs, He
challenged one deputy IN the streets of
Chippewa Falls to a duel, and when the
deputy refused he threw down his own
revolver and invited the officer OF the
law to shoot him.
Twice John A. Hoeft, a private detect.
i've employed BY the lumber interests,
has tried to capture Dietz by strategy,
and twice he failed.
Then Hoeft led an armed force of Of
fcers against the Dietz stronghold, and
three of them were shot and several 9th.
er officers have been wounded in the
various raids attempted on the Sort"
Clarence Dietz, a son, was killed in
one Of these battles, but still the grim
old man held the fort
The lumber companies declare Dietz
has no right to the dam whatever, and
affirm that their absolute title has been
confirmed in both the state and federal
courts.