Omaha daily bee., 1889-11-01
A BLACK EYE FOR LAWS.
The Sinking Water Transaction
Branded as a Swindle.
THREE ADVERSE DECISIONS.
The Assistant Secretary OF the In-
terror on the Notorious Nc
Draska Land Fraud-The Pam
American Visit to Omaha.
WASHINGTON BUREAU THE OMAHA BEE, !
5l3 FOURTEENTH STREET, :

513 FOURTEENTH STREET, 7
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Oct, 81.
The assistant secretary OF the interior to-
dav rendered decisions in three land cases
from Nebraska.
They include relics of the celebrated
Sinking Water fraud.
In the case of the United Statesvs. August
Z. Peterson, involving the south one-half of
the southeast quarter of section twelve,
township sixteen, range twenty-three west,
and the southeast quarter of the southwest
quarter and lot four section seven, town.
ship sixteen, range twenty-five west, North
Platt land district, the decision of the conf
missioner of the general land office holding
the entry for cancellation is affirmed
In the case of James b. Wallace, in which
the general land Office held for cancellation
the homestead entry of the east half of the
southeast quarter of section three, and the
south half of the southeast quarter of sec.
tion two, township six, range thirty-six
west, McCook land district, the assistant
secretary gives an affirmative to the de-
cision.
This is one of the many claims which The
BEE has taken a deep interest in, aud the de-
cision is in the line of the principle laid
down by THE BEE. In the course of his de-
cision, the assistant secretary says:
"The testimony shows that the claimant
was one of dozen or so persons who came
together from Hastings, Neb., to McCook,
on June 10, 1882, and we're there uUon the
first opening of that Office for business on
that morning, and that through the same at
torney they presented their applications and
made homestead and timber culture entries
of land along stream called Sinking
Water, taking up the water front for nearly
thirteen miles. The evidence is not sufficient
to prove that their simultaneous action
was the result of conspiracy to
obtain the land in the interest of some per-
sons other than those making the entry. but
the evidence clearly shows that the eutry
made in the case ut bar never established an
actual residence upon the land in good faith,
and that he never resided upon the land at
all. 1t does not appear that the claimant
over stayed single night at the alleged
house or kept therein single article of fur
niture. The evidence fully sustains the lille
gal character of the entry and the falsity of
the firal proof without considering the ad-
missions of the claimant made to the special
agent related in such agents testimony"
The assistant secretary also affirms the de-
cision of the commissioner in holding for
cancellation the homestead entry of Alonzo
w. Laird, covering the northwest quarter
section twelve, township six nortb range
thirty-slx west, McCook land district. The
assistant secretary in this decision says:
we nave never HeIO, hut IS III Ju6 law,
that one who enters upon the land in the
first place, with no intention of residing
there, and attempts to colorably comply with
what he understands to be the letter of the
law, ignoring its spirit and true intent, and
then makes fraudulent proof, can, after his
entry has been reported and held for cancel
lation, cure the wrong and acquire title to
the land he has originally attempted to ac-
quire illegally by merely moving
on the land without raising crop,
though nearly three years had elapsed
from its original entry. The homestead
entry was evidently fraudulent in its incep-
tion and It's illegal character has at no time
been changed. The entries will be can
celled."
THE OMAHA VISIT
This evenings Star has a two column let
ter from George Fl. Haines, its staff CORE
spondent with the international congress,
dated at Omaha and giving an account of the
entertainment of the excursionists in that
city. Among other good and deserving
things he says:
"Omaha has done the thing up IN great
style for the delegates and the impression
made upon the minds of the visitors
tory speeches have been laid on the
shelf and the visitors have been
spared the pain of listening to long
string of statistics intended to prove that
there ia not and never can be such town as
Omaha. Omaha has number of things of
which it may well be proud, but especially
were the delegates struck by the size and
character of the buildings which have been
erected during the past four or i've years.
In this particular Omaha has kept abreast Of
any city in the country.
"To-day the rules were suspended at Fort
Omaha and a Sunday dress parade was
gone through with for the edifcation of the
visitors. A trip was also made by most of
the members of the party through the Grant
silver smelling works, ana In the afternoon
electric cars conveyed the visitors to Coun-
Gil Bluffs in order that they might
have an opportunity to see what that por-
tion of Iowa looks like on Sunday and to
test the prohibition law which is said to pre-
vail over there"
sANGUINE MALONE MAN.
Colonel William Lamb, ex.mayor of Nor
folk. and after General Malone sthe most
prominent republican of Virginia. who has
taken very active part in the campaign and
whose judgment, together with his eXcep-
tional advantages for accurate information
make him n reliable authority, gave me this
afternoon his estimate of the election in
Virginia on next Tuesday.
His claims aggregate majority In the
state for General Malone of 1000. He
claims that in the First, Second, Third,
Fourth, Fifth and Ninth districts the repub-
lcan majority will aggregate Ii, 500, while in
the Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Tenth the
democratic mojorities will amount TO $500,
leaving republican majority of 1000.
ROOSEVELT COMEDIES.
Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt has
returned here and announced himself in
hearty sympathy with the declarations of
Commissioners Thompson and Lyman that
the persons who have been making collec-
tions for campaign purposes in the depart
ments shall be prosecuted. he says that II
the Virginia club sends around a committee
to the departments tomorrow, as has been
threatened for the purpose of collecting con-
tributions, he will have them arrested and
prosecuted
EvARTs ON THE srEAKERsHtP.
Congressman Evarts, of North Carolina,
is here and announces himself as in favor
OF the Blair educational bill but the repeal
of the entire internal revenue laws, with the
exception of the tax on intoxicating liquors.
He is in favor of an entire repeal of the Ii
cense tax, and says that no republican can
continue in Office IN any southern state un-
less he favors these principles. OF the
speakership he says:
sin my opinion there will be more tnan
one ballot taken TO determine the
speakership. Mckinley is popular in
the south and has many friends in that sec
tlon. He is regarded as conservative and as
not belieying ia the passage of any harsh
election law. i understand he also favors
the Blair bill and a modification Of the inter
nal revenue law. Cannon is another candi-
date with friends in the south. Now Reed,
while ne is an able man. cannot expect TO
receive any support from the south if his
position on the Blair bill aud the internal
reVenue ouastiona IL oorractlv statan