The King of the Timber Land Jumpers
A self-confessed fraudster who stole 70,000 acres of Washington timber land turns on his former syndicate partners.
Tacoma, March 2.—William Jameson, the man who stole a relinquishment deed from the Federal land office in Washington City is, by his own confession, the most extensive timber land jumper in the United States. He represented a Pennsylvania syndicate, doing all the clever work of locating dummies on timber lands and appropriating 70,000 acres of the choicest timber in Washington, some of which is located in Skagit, Mason, and Lewis counties. At the lowest estimate, this is worth $3,500,000. The law forbids syndicates to advance money to locate timber lands; Jameson hired men to 'hold down' claims contrary to law until title could be secured. After he stole the deed, he was allowed to go free, as it was near a general election. Finally, the Department of Justice got hold of the deed theft, and Jameson was ordered arrested. He fled to Canada after a tip-off. When he was captured and his former friends refused to go bail, he resolved to have revenge. Jameson has been in this section recently digging up evidence against those involved in the 70,000-acre timber land steals.
“He represented a Pennsylvania syndicate, doing all the clever work of locating dummies on timber lands.”
This story highlights the long history of land and resource speculation in the Pacific Northwest. The use of 'dummy' entrymen to secure vast tracts of forest echoes later debates over federal resource management and corporate consolidation of wilderness lands.
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