The English Wolf of Wall Street.

I wonder if anyone else has put these story parts together. I've picked it up by bits and pieces, and it's a fascinating case of six degrees of separation to me.

Bend used to be a company town: Brooks/Scanlon, the largest pine sawmill in the world. The town I grew up revolved around the mill. The population of the town was 13,000 compared to over 100,000 today. 

I'd just returned to Bend after college in 1980. My understanding was that Brooks/Scanlon was sold to Diamond International, which was controlled by a British mogul named Sir James Goldsmith, who then proceeded to sell off parts of the company for the breakup profits; including the mill. 

Thus, the end of the mill. 

After a little research, I learned the Goldsmith had been buying up shares of Diamond, but had disagreed with Diamond buying the mill. However, Goldsmith was keen on the lumber land, so ended up buying out Diamond. 

And thus, the end of the mill. https://www.sirjamesgoldsmith.com/businessman/investor/us-major-takeovers/

However it happened, it made me look up James Goldsmith, and it turns out he was the model for the British takeover mogul in the movie Wall Street, played by Terence Stamp, who was even worse than the character played by Michael Douglas ("Greed is good.")

What reminded me of this is the podcast "Behind the Bastards," (which interestingly, is done out of Portland, Oregon, I believe), which did an episode about the gambling tycoon in England, Lord Aspinall, who fleeced post-war aristocracy of much of their cash.

One of these guys was a Lord Lucan, who was part of the in-crowd at the Clermont Club, which was rife with men who were a little to the right of Attila the Hun.  Brixet before Brixet.

Lord Lucan was over his head in debts and about to lose custody of his children in a divorce. He tried murdering his wife, but killed the maid instead, and then disappeared.

There is a strong suspicion that his buds at the Clermont Club, including Sir James Goldsmith, knew what he was going to do and may have even helped him. 

Fine fellows all. Little old Bend didn't stand a chance, though I'm pretty sure Brooks Scanlon was doomed anyway.