The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-27
Secretary Mobiles Version.

Especial TO THE HERALD-EXamlner Dispatch
WAsHINGroN, Oct 26-The story of the
removal of Charles F. Conrad, special
agent of the general land Office, detailed
FOR duty in California in the investigation
Of the famous Benson land survey frauds,
Eiade a genuine sensation in this city. The
facts in the case as telegraphed to the
! World were gathered from official docu-
ments on file in the interior department.
7 sud were real by everybody with great in
terest. But for the incontrovertaDle char
acter of the evidence supporting these
statements, this uupreceuted story would
have been received with increduiity, but
the character of the documents themselves
precluded the possibility of doubt as to
their authenticity.
Secretary NOBLE was interviewed and
made the following statement: II had other
reasons said the secretary, "for dismiss
ing Conrad than the demand of the Califor-
mia Senators and Congressman for his re
mOvaL. The long and short Of it is Con
rad was too suspicious. Inever saw such
suspicious man in my life. He was always
suspectIng fraud or completely with fraud
on the part of prominent public men, and
they were always Republicans. l took oc-
casion to tell him so. l said to him you
ought to hire hall i'll which to air your
suspicious; there Is certainly no room
for tn IN in this department.
II had several complaints" continued
the secretary, iron persons whom Conrad
suspected Why, he even suspected my
dear old friend ex-Congressman Vandever.
Vandever and | have been warm friends
since the battle of Pea Ridge. Vandever,
il whose lightest statement l have implicit
confidence, is worth a thousand Conrads.
He even attacks me- | say that Conrad is
unworthy of trust or confidence, and that it
is dangerous to have him in service. Later
on l received another letter from Vandeyer
in which he said: If you have no regard
for me, your old time friend, you certainly
should kick Conrad out of the service for
the good of the service
He dwelt at great length upon the sus-
flcions which Special Agent Conrad was
constantly entering. 81 have here" said
he, ian extract from statement made by
Conrad December "A, 1887. He said:
'These frauds were committed with the di-
rect completely of Secretary Teller, Com
missioners Mcfarland and Williamson and
Acting Commissioner H. B. Harrison The
acting field partners were the surveyors
general of Arizona, California, Dakota,
Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico and
Colorado. The same opinion was expressed
in my letter to the President in July, 1887,
and stated to Secretary Lamar and Com
missioner Sparks in July
Il asked Conrad if he did not write such
q statement to the department ana he did
not deny it."
The secretary would not say what par
ticular report of the department co ltained
this statement; or if it was contained in
Aany report He simply declared that Con-
rad did not deny it.
Here is a cutting from the Spirit Of the
Tines' said the secretary, admitting at
the same time that he did not know where
this particular Spirit OF the Times was pub
u ~. &C E,,,
journal, II reads: Special Agent Conrad
makes the startling statement that all the
women employed in the office of the sur
Veyor-general are prostitutes"
do you think, continued the secretary
warmly, lit is more surprising that Conrad
should have made such a statement than
that he should have accused Secretary
Teller of completely in land OF fraud!
81 am bound TO say that MIR. Conrad en-
phatically denied ever having made any
such state ent about these women, but 1
can't ma, such things even reported about
tine special agents OF this Office. 1t mate
t'Slally impairs their usefulness"
sWill the department make any use of
Mr.. COnrad's information in connection
with the prosecution Of the Benson cases."
IL presume SO. l told Mr.. Conrad that
as patriotic citizen he ought To be willing
to 20 out to California and offer himself as
witness in these cases. l told him ne would
get his witness fees of course. If he took
the interest he pretended to in the trials
he would certainly be willing TO go. He
was highly indignant at this, and said he
thought it was outrageous"
The secretary had n opinion 10 express
as to whether Conrad'S dismissal might not
impair the moral force of any evidence he
might give as a witness for the government.
Commissioner Stone appears TO be OF
the opinion that Conrad'S services as spec
ial agent are indispensable If the govern
rnent intends to prosecute these cases,
suggested the correspondent
''Oh, well, replied the secretary, Con
rad has followed these cases, and OF course
he knows good deal about them, but he
: has not been the sole depository of this in
formation. He has made his reports to the
department, and he has given much infor-
nation TO the United States district at
torney. Anyway, in the face Of these
things that have told you about Conrad, 1
could not keep him longer. As you know,
dismissed him several times, and each time
put him back because he told me it was
necessary for the interests of the govern
ment that he should be retained until the
cases were brought to trial. 1t would have
been Just as cowardly for me to have re-
teined Conrad longer as to have dismissed
him upon the demand OF the California
Senator'S"
Secretary. Mobiles version of Conrads
dismissal does not appear to alter the facts,
among others, that the special agent has
made some unpleasant discoveries with
, regard TO the connection between Benson
and the Californian Senators; that they
had demanded his dismissal, and he was
accordingly dismissed. The secretary