The Ghost in the Land Office
Federal authorities in Washington D.C. mistakenly appointed a man to a receiver position—unaware he had been dead for three months.
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.
A commission was received here today from Washington City, appointing W. O. Langford receiver of the Waterville land office. The remarkable circumstance in connection with this is the fact that Mr. Langford has been dead for the past three months. He served as United States judge under Cleveland's former administration. An effort will be made to have the appointment bestowed upon his widow.
“The remarkable circumstance in connection with this is the fact that Mr. Langford has been dead for the past three months.”
This administrative blunder underscores the disconnect between the federal bureaucracy in Washington D.C. and the realities of the Washington Territory/State frontier. It reflects a time when slow communication and rigid hierarchies led to absurd systemic failures.
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