Character Relationship Map: Timberjack

Characters

• Tim Chipman (played by Sterling Hayden) — protagonist

  Tim Chipman is an honest lumberman who returns home after his father is murdered. He sets his family's timber company against Croft Brunner's ruthless operation, investigates the killing, and ultimate...

• Lynne Tilton (played by Vera Ralston) — supporting

  Lynne Tilton is a saloon keeper and the daughter of Sweetwater Tilton. After finding her father's hat in Croft Brunner's office, she realizes Brunner killed him, shoots Brunner in the left arm, and es...

• Croft Brunner (played by David Brian) — supporting

  Croft Brunner is a ruthless timber competitor and Tim Chipman's central adversary. He accidentally kills Sweetwater Tilton with a punch, hides the body, and blames rival French loggers. He also compet...

• Jingles (played by Hoagy Carmichael) — supporting

  Jingles helps expose the circumstances of Sweetwater Tilton's death by pointing out that the victim always wore a hat when outside, while the body is missing one. Jingles then accompanies Lynne Tilton...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Lynne Tilton → Croft Brunner (Romantic Rival) — Brunner competes for Lynne's affection while their relationship later turns violently hostile.

  The plot states that Brunner is also a rival for Lynne Tilton's heart.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Tim Chipman → Jingles (Unknown Investigative Connection) — Jingles's observation contributes to the information surrounding Tim's pursuit of the truth.

  Jingles identifies the missing hat as an important clue, while Tim is the central figure pursuing the conflict surrounding the murder and the timber r...

• Tim Chipman → Lynne Tilton (Rescue Alliance) — Their paths converge when Tim's train provides Lynne a chance to escape Brunner.

  Lynne runs to the railway line and flags down a train with Tim aboard; Tim then becomes involved in the rifle confrontation with Brunner.

• Jingles → Croft Brunner (Conflict Accuser) — Jingles supplies a clue that undermines Brunner's attempt to shift blame.

  Jingles points out that Lynne's father always wore a hat when outside and that the hat is missing, challenging the explanation surrounding the death.

• Lynne Tilton → Jingles (Alliance Escape Partner) — Jingles temporarily helps Lynne flee from Brunner.

  After shooting Brunner, Lynne escapes the area with Jingles, although Jingles later leaves her in the forest.

• Tim Chipman → Croft Brunner (Conflict Rival) — Tim and Brunner are opposing lumber interests whose rivalry develops into a personal gunfight.

  Tim returns to a town where rival interests compete for control of the forest, and he sets his family timber company against Brunner's competing opera...

Story Analysis

An honest lumberman and a determined saloon keeper confront a ruthless rival amid a violent struggle for a northern forest.

Plot Progression

1. Return to a Murdered Home — Tim Chipman returns to the northern forest town and discovers that his father has been murdered. The revelation places him against the rival timber interests represented by Croft Brunner.
2. Rival Claims and Fatal Violence — Tim's family timber company confronts Brunner's competing operation. Brunner's struggle around Lynne turns deadly when he accidentally kills her father.
3. The False Trail Breaks — Brunner moves the body and blames rival French loggers. Jingles notices the missing hat, while Tim questions the loggers and Lynne discovers the hat in Brunner's office.
4. Lynne Turns the Gun — Lynne realizes that Brunner killed her father and shoots him in the arm. She escapes with Jingles, but Brunner tracks her into the forest.
5. Rifles at the Railway — Lynne reaches the railway and flags down a train carrying Tim. Tim confronts Brunner in a long-distance rifle shoot-out and kills him.