=;8o 



CONSERVATION 



he had just said, but ignoring the 

 statement. 



"No, I should say not. \Yhat do we 

 have attorneys for? My boss sent me 

 out with the company cruiser to see the 

 land, go over it. -tay out there for a 

 couple of nights, and then the lawyer 



* J 





FRAUDULENT HOMESTEAD 



ThislbO-acre Claim in Washington Has Six Million Feet of 

 Red Fir and Cedar on It 



fixed up the papers and told me what to 

 -ay when I went to the land office. I 

 tell you right now, I ain't going to give 

 it up. for the lx>ss has been to big 

 expense, and if I back down, he may 

 tire me." 



Poor wretch, led by the nose, har- 

 nessed into the cart of -ubjeetion. and 

 blindly violating the law. depending 

 entirely upon his "boss" and lawyer to 

 protect him in case of trouble. And 

 yet. hundreds of people have success- 

 fully made entries on public lands and 

 -ivured patents under just such pre- 

 texts of complying with the law. 



After a long and strenuous argu- 

 ment the man was finally compelled to 

 see his serious position with the Gov- 

 ernment, and relinquished his rights 

 and title to the land, with the under- 

 standing that I would make an effort to 

 prevent his "bo--" from discharging 

 him. 



I called next morning on this timber 

 "king" in his beautiful private office. 

 looked him square in the eye, and said 

 tjuietly : 



"Your man I'.rown has relinquished 

 hi- home-lead claim located by your 

 timber cruiser becau-e he has failed to 

 comply with the law. lie is afraid you 

 will become angr\ with him, and dis- 

 charge him fiom your employ. Plea-e 

 d not let this happen. You are not in 

 po-jtioii to take am -uch union against 

 him. I >o you understand ?" 



I le glared for a moment into my face 

 a- if he would gladly mutilate my 

 feature-, then -lo\vly paled, and sat 

 forward in hi- heav\ leather chair. 

 Mi- voice was low and -trained. 



"I understand. I'.rown -hall keep his 

 place. I hopr tin's is the end of the 

 matter." 



I bowed myself out without saying 

 much, for T knew thi- man would 

 sooner <>r later haw to face a federal 

 -rand jury. ;md I did not wish to com- 

 mit my-elf. To-day this same man i- 

 -pending his time in a I nited States 

 pri-oii. thinking over -ome of the errors 

 of hi- ways. Such has been the end of 

 a busy, pro-pcnm- but unscrupulous 

 life. 



And now comes the -torv in brief of 

 one of the most noted and remarkable 

 timber locators and public land rob- 

 bers in the Northwest. There are but 

 few characters like this man in the his- 

 tory of fraudulent claims in this 

 country. 



Cascade Bill, omitting the rest of his 

 name for fear of offending him. is a 

 -loutly built, short, burly fellow with 

 one eye, steel gray, and a wealth ot 

 fierce black whiskers. For twenty 

 \ear- he has been a professional timber 

 locator in the Index. \Yashington coun- 

 try, the heart of the Cascade Mountain-. 



