Land Office Scandal in Woolley
A United States court commissioner stands accused of defrauding settlers by withholding land fees and failing to file legal documents.
Charges of a serious nature hang over A. A. Gillis, a United States court commissioner residing at Woolley, Washington. Gillis was arrested following a warrant issued by Judge Hanford at the request of District Attorney W. R. Gay. The complaint alleges that Gillis accepted final proof fees from local settlers but failed to transmit the funds or the associated land proofs to the Seattle land office as required by law.
“It is charged that Gillis failed to transmit the proofs placed in his possession as an officer of the law and also withheld the fees.”
This case illustrates the deep-seated tensions in Washington Territory and early statehood concerning land ownership and the integrity of federal bureaucrats. It echoes perennial debates about local trust in systems intended to govern private property.
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