The Dead Land Commissioner and the Missing $22,000

TACOMA, April 25.—Special.—Central Land Agent Cooper and his force of accountants are busy at work checking over the late Schulze's books. As was to be expected, they are not making public the result of their search for crooked work as far as it has progressed. Many disclosures have already been made by the books, and reports of other criminality on the part of the dead land commissioner are constantly coming to light from other sources.

One of these cropped out today.

Some months ago an Eastern syndicate purchased Northern Pacific land in Mason County to the value of $22,000 through A. H. Anderson, of Seattle. That gentleman made the payment direct to Mr. Schulze, but no deeds were ever issued. Repeated demands for the deeds failed to bring them, and only a short time before Schulze's suicide the syndicate began to make complaint at the head office. This complaint was one of the first to arouse suspicion in the minds of the officials of Schulze's honesty.

There are said to be numerous other transactions, both large and small, of a like nature. The Northern Pacific announces that no purchaser of land will lose by Schulze's stealings. In cases where bona fide receipts are presented deeds will be given, whether or not the sale appears on the books.

For several years past the Tacoma Mill Company from time to time has purchased large quantities of land from the Northern Pacific. William Hansen, president of the company, arrived here several days ago, and has been checking up the purchases by the Northern Pacific books to see if Schulze held out anything on them. All the sales, however, were found duly entered.