The evening world., 1922-04-22
-VHE Governor and Legislature
Of the great State owned
up to James Austin March

Of the great State owned
up to James Austin March
that the situation was very
singular indeed. .....
= There was humor in it, viewed
one way, though Mr.. March failed
10 perceive any point to the joke,
Mr.. March, or somebody, had mis-
LTD small parcel consisting Of ten
thousand acres-good, solid, ledge
founded acres Of timberland for which
he had paid five dollars an acre. 1t
was recorded on the books OF the State
land office as a gore" its location
was given as being In Range 10 OF
the wild lands, and it was described
as a surveying set-off from four town
slips. According to the State ac-
counts which ran back for many
years, the V-shaped section did exist
and had reverted to the State be-
cause the taxes had not been paid
for so long that the tax titles allowed
the land agent to give clear decd
10 purchaser.
Mr.. March lived in New York and
LAS not in the land or the timber
business. He was a speculator. On
a9count of the development Of the
paper industry and because he had
heard of the fortunes that were made
IN the pulp timber enterprise he de-
olded to take a flyer, and he ran down
to a border State and asked the land
agent what he happened to have on
the shelf that day. Land agent pulled
down the gore,
The land agents Office was in the
Capitol Building of the State, and Mr..
March had admired the structure very
much from the outside ;, doing busi-
ness With u State right in its own
State House certainly seemed to be a
more reliable proposition than buying
wheat on margin. Therefore Mr..
March took the gore and paid casl,
and went right back to New York
VV YHEN he later went bump by
" selling wheat which he had
never seen to somebody who
did not want to see any
wheat. but only the color of Mr.
Marchs money, the owner of the gore
asked a paper mill magnate to send
some timber cruisers over the tract
and make an offer.
It was then that Mr.. March wa;
assured, after the cruisers had re.
ported back, that he did not have any
gore. According to deeds of adjacen
township owners. figuring from thei,
recorded metes and bounds, there wa.
not one acre of land that Mr.. Marcl
could call his own.
Ete hustled down into the State anC
interviewed that land agent under tn,
dome of the Capitol. The agen
averred that the situation was yer.
singular. But he declared that he hat
had no hand in making the land VI
in, the timber countryj that he ha,
done only what he was entitled TO d
-y7sell on the basis of the State
records.
After that, Mr.N March went to tn
Governor and interviewed members Q
the State Legislature. He found n
alacrity anywhere in regard TO hand
ing back his money. Buying ta
titles from a State, at cut rates, wa
different from buying real land, h
Was told. He hired lawyers; the
told him that a State could not
sued unless the Legislature passed
special act permitting the suit. II
hired lobbyists to help him in putin
through that special act, APPARENT
the State did not care to get into
lawsuit over a small matter; MI
March's idea was turned down b
both. branches.
That was in April, early. One day
just before the middle OF the month
1-r. Niarch dropped dead in his Ne
York once. Apopiexy was ascribeC
So that was the end of James Aust
March.
TULLY two weeks ahead Of tin
in May, because the season Wa
open, the head of the Cupsupt
drive reached the gorge OF Mil
cry Jaws; Roaring Bill benson ";
drive master, He drove his cr,
more sayagely than usual that seasC
because - winter snowfall had BET