The High-Stakes Fight for Sunnyside Land

Samuel Vinson, by his attorneys, Whitson & Parker, has entered a contest against William M. Desmond, of Clinton, Ia., and ex-Register Ira M. Knuts for the east half of section 10, township 10, range 21, on the grounds of fraudulent and collusive entry. The land in question, which is one of the best tracts in the Sunnyside district, has quite a history. In May 1884, when the Northern Pacific was being built into North Yakima, V. O. Bogus filed on section 14 under the desert land act, but it reverted to the government through failure to get water on. In December 1890, Mrs. Emelina Stone made application to file on the south half, but her filing was rejected by Register Knuts on the ground that the land had been applied for by W. M. Desmond. Mrs. Stone appealed, claiming that the land was being wrongfully withheld from her. The appeal was rejected, and on March 3rd, 1891, a law was passed making it necessary that the applicant for desert land must be a resident of the state in which the land was situated. After that time, Desmond’s filing was placed on record. Then, Mr. Knuts was removed; before being out of office a year, he enters contest against Desmond for the land. The land is valuable, and no doubt there will be a hot fight for its possession.