The Railroad Land War
A farmer on the Chehalis River accuses local officials and railroad contractors of corruption and 'bulldozing' tactics regarding land appraisals and property rights.
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.
J. B. Hewett writes to the Post-Intelligencer to dispute claims made by Justice Cann regarding land appraisals for the C. & P. S. R. R. Co. (Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad). Hewett contends that the appraisers appointed were interested parties rather than disinterested locals, and that he was denied the opportunity to file objections. He alleges that he has been subjected to 'bulldozing' and threatened with arrest and restraining orders by the railroad company. Hewett firmly declares that he and his family hold clear title to their land and will not yield possession for a right-of-way until they receive 'just compensation' as required by law.
“We have a clear deed of the same, and hold it under a patent, and we will not yield possession of one foot of it until we are paid.”
This dispute over railroad rights-of-way and the use of 'interested' appraisers prefigures the ongoing friction between private property owners and infrastructure development projects in the Pacific Northwest.
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