The Lumber Land Swindlers
A pair of con artists operating in Tacoma were arrested for selling fraudulent timber claims to unsuspecting laborers.
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.
Edward Emde is one of the victims of a swindling concern known as the Maine and Michigan Lumber and Milling Company (incorporated), an institution which some two years ago successfully operated in Tacoma, betraying tenderfeet into parting with their dollars under a promise of enriching them. Their concern is now operated by Martin E. Poy, alias Morgan Thomas and Peter Hanley. They catch the unwary by advertising to locate men on timber lands. When a prospective customer arrives they delude him with tales of great riches. They propose to locate their victim on timber land and to purchase the land of him at the end of 90 days for $800. All they ask is an advance fee of $25. Emde was one of the suckers who paid this amount, and he complained to the police, who soon located Poy and Hanley. Special Officer Demorest captured the men and took them to the city jail. They will be tried for obtaining money under false pretenses.
“They catch the unwary by advertising to locate men on timber lands. When a prospective customer arrives they delude him with tales of great riches.”
Land speculation schemes in the Pacific Northwest have long preyed on the aspirations of working-class settlers. This historical grift mirrors the modern real-estate scams that still target vulnerable buyers in rapidly growing regions like Grays Harbor.
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