The Rogue Commissioner of Snohomish County
Local ranchers file affidavits against a young U.S. Commissioner accused of extortion, petty larceny, and raiding the local candy supply.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Charges against George Morrill, United States commissioner at Haller City, were filed in Federal court with a petition for his removal by Judge Hanford. The charges are in the form of affidavits accusing Morrill of malfeasance in office, petty larceny, and being a nuisance. Nine affidavits have been filed, mostly in the handwriting of L. N. Jones, an Arlington insurance agent. The ranchers accuse the commissioner of offering to loan them money for final proofs, only to delay the loan until the last moment and then refuse to make it unless the settler paid an exorbitant interest rate or sold the commissioner their relinquishment. They also accuse him of forcing settlers to pay multiple times for publication of notices in the 'Haller City Times' by threatening to withhold the affidavit of publication. John Z. Jones, an Arlington merchant, swore that Morrill would walk into his store and help himself to candy and ginger snaps, taking several dollars worth. Morrill dismissed the claims, stating they are the result of lawsuits he is prosecuting in Snohomish county and are inspired by parties wishing to get even.
“Manny manny times he has known the parties who was doing business with Morrill as said commissioner come down from his office and describe how Morrill was using them.”
This 1894 case highlights the power imbalance in early Washington, where federal officials could essentially hold the rights to a squatter's land hostage. It serves as a gritty precursor to modern debates about bureaucratic overreach and the integrity of public officials in rapidly developing administrative districts.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.