Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-04-09
EXTENSIVE FRAUDS.
A SCOTCH sYNDIcATE's WORK IN
SECURING THE REDWOOD LAND.
Afndavfts of Men Employed in the Con-
sapiracy-Ths Secretary of the Interior
Recommends that Suits be Brought to
Recover the Timber-Nearly One Hun
dred Thousand Acres Secured.

WASHINGTON, April 9.-The Redwood
land frauds in California have for some
time been engaging the attention of the
officials OF the Interior Department. Up
wards of 700 entries have been pronounced
fraudulent and tenants have been recon-
mended to vacate the patents
Secretary Villas, in recent official letter
to the attorney-general, recommending the
bringing of suits in a number of cases sub
mitted the following details of the fraudu-
lent methods employed:
From the Reports of Special Agent r. f.
Bengen, and accompanying affidavits, it ap-
pears that's Scotch corporation or syndicate
was formed for the purpose of obtaining
control of all the valuable redwood lands
located in Humboldt county. This syndi-
cate was represented in California by James
ID. Walker who made q contract with Jos.
Russ. David Evans and Charles King, COM
posing the firm of Russ & Co., TO carry out
the object in view. These in turn employ
ed as agents IN the nefarious work, Charles
E. Beech, Harry A. Marks and NJ P. Roberts,
(brother of Register of the Humboldt land
otfice) who employed other agents, the al
fidavits of some of whom will be found
herewith:
The affidavit of Frank McLaughlan
shows that he was employed by Charles E.
Beach to furnish men to make timber, ap-
plication for which he. Mclaughlin, was to
receive five dollars for each man, and the
men were to be paid fifty dollars each on
completion of the entry. Under this con-
tract number of men were furnished
whose names and tracts entered by them
are given. The contract was then changed
so as to make McLaughian's compensation
twenty dollars per week, and at this rate he
furnished a large number of eutrymen,
whose names and the tracts entered are
given. The paIers relating to these entries
were prepared by Beach, Roberts &
Marks, and acknowledged before Fred W..
Bell. n. P. The money to pay for the
lands thus entered came through Russ &
Co, and was not paid by the men, but by
Beach or some of the others.
John Conor, who is the keeper of board
ing house, testities that he entered into an
engagement with Marks to furnish men,
seamen or sailors to make timber entries
for which each entryman was to receive $50.
Under this agreement he furnished a large
number of men then boarding with him
whose names and entries are given. T. II,
Faso testified that he was in the local land
office and saw Harry Marks pay the money
to the Receiver, at one time for twenty or
twenty-five timber entries
David Cutten states that he was employ
ed by Russ & Co. to draw deeds conveying
the land, entered as aforesaid, and under
the employment prepared between 400 and
450 such deeds. Whilst doing this work he
occupied the same room in which Beach
and Roberts were engaged in preparing the
entry papers to 81 different entrymen.
Beach and Roberts would give him list
containing the names of the men o de-
scription of the tracts of land, and
he would prepare deeds for the
same in favor of David Evans, leav-
ing always the date of the deed blank
so that it could afterwards be filed in to
correspond with the date of the acknowl-
edgement Every few days he would go to
+. w. Bell, the Notary, who took the &C
acknowledgements and obtain from him a
batch of the executed and acknowledged
deeds and after filling the latter to CORE
spond would draw other deeds for the
same land from Evans to James D. Walker,
the agent of the Scotch syndicate and then
deliver the deeds TO Evans.
George A. kellog, recorder of Humboldt
Co., certifies that there were filed in his
Office for record on July 10, 1884, three hun
dred and sixty-three deeds all in favor of
David Evans, except twelve to Charles E.
Beach and two TO Harry Marks, and all for
land in that county In addition to the
foregoing testimony in many of the cases
the affidavit OF the entrymen will be found
among the particular papers thereof, show
ing the circumstances under which such
entry was made.
Whilst such testimony by itself would
ordinarily have but little weight, yet when
suggested and corroborated by the other
testimony submitted. and all the surround
ing circumstances, it is of much Importance
in making clear the extensive conspiracy
eliminating in this monstrous fraud
whereby patents were issued for this large
body of land. Therefore have no hesita-
ton in joining in the recommendation of
the commissioner of the general land office
that suits be instituted in the proper tri-
bunal to secure the cancellation of these
patents, if it is thought such suits can be
maintained 4"